Second Chance
by fairytellerxo
Summary: Three years ago, Jax was married and didn't get the perfect chance but now Brianna Hohrykova is back in his life and he's doing everything he can to make sure she fits perfectly in his life alongside his club. Is it fate, inevitable or just a coincidence that they're getting a second chance? -Formerly known as Inevitable-
1. Back At It

**so here it finally is, the sequel to Fated. After a few weeks of debate, I decided to give it a go. If you read fated, that's good but if you haven't I suggest that you do. Although you won't be too lost if you just jump right in to this story... So here it is, a fluffy first chapter.**

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 **November 12, 2011**

Brianna Hohrykova moved through her Oakland home, her two year old son Javier perched on her hip as she tried her best to get him to go down for a much needed nap. She had just finished a nearly twelve hour shift at the hospital and the last thing she wanted to be doing is fighting with a two year old who was sleepy and grumpy but kept insisting that he wasn't. "Come on Javi, go to sleep please. I need sleep. This isn't fun baby." She kissed his forehead as she moved into the living room and laid down on the large beanbag chair that Monica had bought. "We can nap and cuddle, when we wake up it'll be fun, we can eat some food."

"No." Javier rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "No naps."

"You're sleepy though my love." She adjusted him so that his head was on her chest and she could rub his back slowly. "You need a nap baby, it'll be good for you."

"No! No naps!" He yawned and shook his head lazily. "I'm not sleepy."

"That's the biggest lie I've heard in my whole live." She rolled her eyes before watching the arch way as she heard the front door open. "Maybe that's your dad and you'll go to sleep for him."

"No, no." The two year old yawned again as he tried his hardest to fight sleep. "No daddy."

"Hey babe." Juice walked into the living room and dropped down on the floor next to Bri and Javi. "You need help putting him to sleep?"

The brunette shrugged. "He doesn't wanna fall asleep, he wants to stay awake and be nosy but I need some sleep. I'm fresh off work and was looking forward to pouring myself in bed and cuddling with my little man but he's not having it."

"Come here man." He took his son in his arms and moved from the floor to his recliner and stretched out. "We're gonna go to sleep, you're gonna wake up and you can love on your mama then but for now, you gotta nap. Just like you usually do Javi."

"Ok." Javi rested on Juice's chest and slowly nodded his head. "Nap time."

"Well ain't that some shit." Bri glared at Juice before smiling and settling into the bean bag chair. "This thing is so comfortable, no wonder Moni wanted it so damn badly." She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly before releasing the breath. "I'm getting that nap in. I deserve it."

"We'll all be napping." Juice smiled at the beauty. "I think you really do deserve it. When's the next day off?"

"I have the next two weeks off." She shrugged her shoulders. "Let's go to sleep, I don't wanna waste my nap time. I love you babe."

"I love you too." He smiled at her. "Sweet dreams. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

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Monica stopped and looked up at the Bat Cave, her green eyes scanning every inch of the house before she glanced back and smiled at Elijah. It had been two years since she had stepped foot on the property and into the house she had considered her second home. It made her sad to think that Happy wasn't around for her anymore but it also made her happy that Elijah had stepped up and been around for her a little more. "Lijah, can we go to the ice cream shoppe later?"

Elijah looked at the tiny brunette and nodded slowly. "Of course we can go and get some ice cream. Has anyone told you that you look like a shrunken down version of your mom." He tugged on her top knot and crop top before chuckling at her absurd neon orange basketball shorts. "You dress exactly like her."

She giggled and shrugged her shoulders as she tightened her hair. "I think I look so gorgeous. I'm a little _kukla_." She smiled up at him as she started walking past the house. "You think they'll ever come back?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, they'll come back home eventually. You've visited them right? Was it fun?"

"It was alright, I mean it just made me cry the whole way home because I didn't know I missed Happy that much. I didn't wanna leave." She shook her head and frowned. "I'm okay now, I think we're gonna visit again for Christmas."

"That's good that you get to go visit them again." He nodded as they made their way through the neighborhood on their usual evening walks. "I'll miss you when you're gone."

"I'll miss you too." She grabbed his hand and swung his arm back and forth slowly. "Can we have a sleepover one night? Pizza, ice cream, movies and games!"

"Well, of course." He smiled down at her. "We can do it next weekend… Are you enjoying these walks that we have when I'm in town?"

"Yes, I love the walks. The doctor says it's helping with my ADHD. I don't even know what that is really but I guess it's helping me be less hyper." Monica nodded. "The doctor told mom that I have it, mom yelled at her when she suggested medicine. You should have seen it."

The man shook his head and hid a smirk. "So, ADHD huh? It just means you can't pay attention and have a lot of energy." He tried his best to explain it in a way a nine year old would completely understand. "It's good that you're not on medicine, it'll make you sluggish and sleepy. Then you'll never be able to dance like you do now."

She nodded. "I got the lead in Swan Lake! I get to do a costume change and everything. Will you be there to see me? It's in December, it's like a week or so before Christmas."

"Of course I'll be there to see you." Elijah lifted her up and kissed her forehead. "I'm always going to be around to see you perform. Let's head back to get a car then we can go grab ice cream. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds perfect." Monica wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled widely. "I'm gonna get a banana split, or maybe one of those ice cream shake things in a cup." She rested her forehead against his and kissed the tip of his nose. "Moni and 'Lijah time!"

 **November 13, 2011**

Bri looked at her daughter who was splayed across her glass desk, her attention focused on the open sketchbook in front of her. "What're you drawing my love?"

Monica looked at her mom and shrugged. "I'm drawing Happy a picture, he told me to keep practicing my art every day so I'll be good like him." She ran her hands through her long brown hair and sat up slowly to stare at her mom. "I'm drawing a snake."

"That's really good baby." She smiled and looked at the sketch. "You should draw him a picture on a canvas and we can send it to him. We have their address, maybe he'll love having a piece of artwork from you hanging in his house there."

"I can send him my art?" The nine year old smiled even wider. "I gotta get a canvas and make him something so good! Like the art I did for Elijah's room!" She slid off the desk and looked around the office. "Can I paint in here? Or do I have to take it to my room or the art room?"

"Babe, paint wherever you wanna paint. I know you're responsible, if you paint in here, just lay some newspaper under your easel." Bri looked back at her laptop. "You wanna still cut your hair? Or did you change your mind? I'm booking my hair appointment right now."

"No, I don't wanna cut it anymore." Monica shook her head and trailed her fingers through her hair and smiled. "You think that they like it more in Tacoma than here? I looked at the Bat Cave yesterday when I went for the walk with Elijah. I miss hanging out over there, I miss my room over there."

"They'll be back babe. They just needed a break." Bri smiled at her daughter. "You wanna go to the craft store later for more painting supplies? I think you're old enough for a can of spray paint. Maybe you can learn how to graffiti or something."

"I think that'd be good." She nodded. "I am gonna paint the Bat Cave and send it to him, maybe it'll make him come home faster."

"Maybe." The brunette nodded slowly. "If not, you're gonna see him next month."

"Yeah." Monica sighed. "I know.

Bri stood up and moved towards her daughter, wrapping her into a tight hug. "I love you Monica… I just wanna cuddle and love on you all day. When are you free?"

"For you? Any day." She chuckled and hugged her mom back. "I love you too."

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"Javi is asleep, Monica is taking a bubble bath after a long day of making art." Bri looked at Juice and smiled as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm beat and cannot wait to sleep… I feel like I'm in my fifties. I'm not even thirty yet."

Juice laughed. "You're dramatic. I love it." He hooked his hands behind her knees and lifted her up onto the counter. "You can sleep in tomorrow, I don't need to be at the club so I'll be able to get up and take Monica to school and get Javi situated with breakfast and all that."

"I'm thinking of quitting and just trying to find a 9-5. I love working in the ER but it's taking a toll on my body, my sanity and taking away time from my loves." She hugged him and sighed. "We need to get the wedding plans finalized though. I need a set date. I need an exact date, have you given it any more thought?"

"I was thinking that if we don't want anything big we can load up the cars and head to Vegas. We were gonna do it in Vegas the first time around babe… We can do it if you don't wanna stress over the plans." He rubbed his thumbs over her exposed collarbones and studied her gorgeous face intently. "You can shut this idea down if you want to."

"No, no. I think I wanna do it in Vegas. It can be something small, not like we have a whole bunch of family to begin with. We can find a venue that's child friendly and get it done. It'll be simple and to the point." She smiled as she tapped on his chest, her nail tracing over her name. "I don't need anything extravagant. I just want it to be married to you."

"You can just get a sexy as hell white dress… One that accentuates the hips, ass, and your breasts." He ran his fingers over the fleshy tops over her breasts and smirked. "The wedding night can be wild, we can hit up the casino, the strip club then end it with a lot of sex in the pool or the tub."

"Oh yeah? I'm loving the sound of this dress, I do love showing off my curves." Bri sucked on his bottom lip and smirked when she released it. "I'm gonna look at dresses when we are laying in bed, you can help me pick one out… Doesn't have to be too expensive. I'm only wearing it once and I know you're gonna try to rip it off me. Sexy, not too expensive but still says wedding."

"You can do something with sleeves, and have the whole back out, and it'll show off your ass nicely." He rubbed over her ass and smirked against the side of her neck. "It'll be like the red dress you wore to that banquet we went to a few weeks ago. You looked killer and all of the men were checking your ass out."

"I think you tore that dress to shreds though as soon as we got to the hotel room." She rubbed his back and chuckled softly. "It didn't stand a chance against you babe."

"I loved that dress though." He laughed as he lifted her off the counter and started walking out of the kitchen. "I'm glad we're getting married, we've been good for two years now and I've loved every single minute of it."

Bri wrapped her legs around his waist and smirked. "I got another dress just like the red one, it's black and it's perfect. We need to have a date night soon so I can wear it."

He nodded as he started up the stairs slowly. "I'll take you to dinner, I'll take you for ice cream afterwards. I just love showing your sexy ass off." He moved into their master suite and shut the door behind them. "Let's get you to sleep though. I'm gonna need you to have all your energy for tomorrow. I'm gonna take us all out for a family thing."

"Oh yeah? To think I was thinking you were carrying me up here to fuck me into a coma." She laughed as he laid on the bed gently, her on top of him securely. "My mind was in the gutter from the time you lifted me off the counter."

Juice laughed as he pulled the soft velour blanket over their bodies. "I was thinking about it but I wanna save up for tomorrow. I mean we are trying for another kid and you need to be in that weird position afterwards and if you fall into a coma, it can't be too good for getting you all knocked up."

Bri shook her head. "Yes, another little Ortiz raising hell on society. I can't wait for that. I can't believe getting pregnant when you want to is so damn difficult. It's like bam, here's Javi but this second pregnancy is being stubborn as fuck." She slid down his body a little bit, resting her right ear on his chest as she listened for his heartbeat. "I really need to find an easier job. I'm thinking about applying at Planned Parenthood, I have credentials to work there. I can help young women prevent unwanted pregnancies and STIs."

"Do whatever is going to make you happy babe." He rubbed her back in small circles. "We'll end up pregnant when we least expect it to happen. We just gotta stop stressing about it and just let it happen."

"True. I'm also happy that I turned down the job in Orange County, can you imagine uprooting and moving down there? No friends no family, you'd have to be nomad or SAMDINO. It would have been a mess plus Monica is loving her life here and I couldn't imagine taking all that away from her and forcing her to start over. I'm in love with happy Monica. She's finally not taking Happy being gone so hard. Although, she gets bad after visits. She cried nearly the whole ride back. It fucking broke my heart, all I could do was hold her." She sighed. "I'm good with our life right now. It's perfect."

He nodded and smiled as he saw Bri's breathing slow down to a steady pace. "I'm glad we're staying up here too. It's our home and I couldn't see us being happy anywhere else. I think it'll be a good idea to look into a job where you'd be happy, where you could have a normal schedule so when we do get pregnant again you're not stressing out about an insane long ass shift. I support you either way Brianna. I love you."

"I love you too." Bri yawned and nodded. "More than you'll ever know."

"I know you do." Juice looked down at his fiance, pushing the hair out of her face as he watched her start drifting off to sleep. "I can't wait to see how the rest of our years together treat us. The last two have been amazing and I can't wait to see how our fiftieth will be treating us." He rubbed the pads of his fingers up and down her back, cohercing himself into a slow and much needed slumber.

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 **AN: Just keep in mind, that I'm doing this because a lot of readers wanted a sequel but if the story doesn't get any type of solid feedback, I will not hesitate to throw this on an indefinite hiatus like Burn and Follow Me Down are on. So, if you want this story to continue, then take the extra 30 seconds or so to leave a much appreciated review.  
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	2. JuJuBe

**wow, thanks for the amazing feedback on chapter one! I loved reading all the comments. They made me smile. So, I hope you enjoy chapter two. there are some cute moments with Juice and a few brunettes at the end :)**

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 **November 15, 2011**

"I don't think you're doing that quite right." Nik walked into the gym, her blue eyes locked on Juice as he jogged on the treadmill at a slow pace. "I'm pretty sure you can run a little bit faster than that… You're not old."

He paused and looked at her. "When'd you get into town?"

The blonde shrugged. "A few hours ago. I came over here looking for Frey and Igor but I was just told they moved up the street. Sad day when the suits aren't where I left them." She trailed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Have I really been gone that long?"

He nodded. "Nearly a year. Bri's set on being independent and not having all the suits around to be her crutch. Elijah is barely around anymore, only coming by to hang out with Monica when he's in town. You don't even wanna know the bullshit that goes along with him. It's not a pretty story by any means."

Nik nodded slowly. "Well Elijah and Jacey shouldn't have started up that shit… Don't look so surprised, I know things. Especially Elijah things." She smiled at him before shrugging her shoulders again as she let the smile fall from her lips. "You and Bri been doing well?"

Juice smiled and nodded at the blonde. "Yeah, we've been doing great. We've been talking about everything. We even decided on where to get married, so keep a look out for that invitation. It's been nothing but positive vibes and I'm loving every moment of being with her and having a family with her. We're even trying for another baby."

"Another baby? That's cute. I don't think you guys need another one until Javi is in school but whatever. What do I know?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head lazily. "I'm sure your next kid will be a little girl though. Are you ready for another Monica to be walking around the house? Nevermind, I need to see that. I'm rooting for another mini Bri."

He narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. "You can go away now. I have my workout to get back to. Go cuddle with Bri and the kids. I'm sure they'll love that more than anything." He pushed her out of the gym and locked the door. "Bye Nik!"

"Whatever." Nik mumbled before turning around and walking towards the stairs. "Bri." She mumbled as she moved into her older sister's room and crawled into the bed. "I wanna cuddle with you."

Bri reached out and laced her fingers through her sister's and nodded. "Come be the little spoon babe."

"My boyfriend dumped me… I went back to the apartment and he had changed the locks and all my shit was sitting in the lobby. It was embarrassing as fuck." The blonde sighed. "I loved him but he didn't love me back."

"He didn't deserve you." The brunette rubbed her sister's hip and nuzzled into her hair. "You can mourn the loss for a few weeks but remember he's not even worth all of it. He didn't see that he had a Queen. You need to find a man who's going to treat you like the Queen you are."

Nik nodded. "I know. I know. I just am pissed off because I wasted so much time with him only to find out that all the shit he was spewing was utter bullshit."

"It's alright. I will love on you until you feel better." Bri held her sister tightly to her. "You're gonna love all the cuddles." She pointed to Juice's side of the bed. "Look how cute they are… Javi loves cuddling with his Monkey."

"I wanna cuddle with my hunny Javi. I miss him so much… Look how big he's gotten and look at that hair, all that pretty jet black hair." Nik smiled and looked at her sleeping nephew. "How's Monkey dealing with everything?"

"He's perfection. A perfect little boy." Bri shrugged. "Monica is alright, she's finally adjusted to Happy being gone… It sucked to deal with because he's like her dad whether she realizes that or not. From day one they were inseparable. Like I kid you not, the moment she laid eyes on him, she wanted him in her life forever. She even pitched a fit when we tried leaving Jacey's place. Happy had to walk her out."

"Well, they're coming back soon right?" She sighed. "I'm not sure it's a good thing. Elijah would leave her again. He was like her dad first. You remember the first moment he held her in the hospital? It was a done deal."

The brunette smiled and nodded. "Yeah I know… I know. I know. I know. I know! I can't even deal with shit because it doesn't make sense at all anymore. I think we need to find Elijah a girlfriend so he can move forward and not dwell on a failed relationship. I refuse to let everyone be how I was after Juice."

"Yeah, well go to sleep. We're going dress shopping after this nap. We'll take the babies." Nik patted Bri's leg. "Sleep tight."

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"That looks so cute on you Monica." Bri looked at her daughter and smiled. "You want that dress or you still wanna try on the other twelve?"

Monica nodded. "I want this one but I wanna try on the other ones too. Can I?"

"Yeah baby love. You need cute dresses anyway. Why don't we try to find some casual ones for school too? You can wear a cute dress with some combat boots. It'll be cute and fashionable." She nodded. "God, you're so damn gorgeous. All cheekbones and bright green eyes."

"I want some dresses with the sleeves, like the flower ones Nik wears." Monica sat on her mom's lap and nodded. "I get my cheekbones from you!" She patted her mom's face and laughed. "Green eyes from my dad though."

Bri smiled. "Yeah, we can get you those dresses. They'll be perfect on you, with a bomber jacket or maybe a leather or denim jacket. Man, I'm so excited to shop with you. I think your green eyes are stunning as hell. I always wondered what you'd look like with grey eyes."

"Do you know any of my real dad's family? Does he have any sisters or brothers?" The brunette pulled on her mom's hair softly and smiled. "Does he?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he has a younger sister and brother. Sofija and Volodymyr. They live down in Los Angeles… You wanna meet them or something? I haven't talked to them in a long time but I'm sure they would love to meet their gorgeous niece."

Monica nodded. "I wanna meet them, they have weird names. I want a weird name. Call me Monika, with a K. Monika Hohrykova. What was my dad's last name?"

"Mikhailov… You know the rule? Add an A." Bri kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Monika Mikhailova. It sounds good." She smiled. "Monika Elizaveta Mikhailova… I'm gonna be back. I'm gonna finish trying on my dresses."

"Who just kicked your puppy?" Nik perched herself on Bri's knees. "You're about to cry, please don't cry."

"She's taking more interest in who her dad is and what family he has… She's Moni _k_ a Mikhailova right now…" Bri wiped her eyes and groaned. "I'm screwed, screwed. So damn screwed. Like what do I do? Who do I even talk to about this? Aleksandr, Elijah?"

"This is where you put it off until daddy Happy comes home and distracts her." Nik stood up. "If you need to talk about it with someone, talk to Elijah or Happy. Or both."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. I'll talk to them about it soon. Let's just get her all her dresses and stuff." Bri mumbled.

 **November 17, 2011**

"Babe." Juice laid across Bri's back and kissed her ear. "I missed you. Where have you been all my life?"

Bri chuckled and shook her head. "Here and there… I missed you too. How was your little quick job?"

He shrugged as he rolled off of her and onto his back, kicking his boots off and smiling when he heard them land on the floor. "It was alright. I didn't entirely enjoy it but I didn't entirely hate it either. It was just alright."

She nodded and looked at him, a small smile spreading across her face. "That's better than it being bad. I had a good day, thanks for asking. Your son was a tiny terror and drew all over his bedroom walls with a black crayon. That was cute to try to wash off. I gave up halfway through though."

He laughed and shook his head. "He's becoming a little artist then? I gotta go see his handiwork and see if I can't clean it all up for you baby." He kissed her forehead and sat up, removing his shirt before laying back down. "So he was a terror and Monica was what? She felt better today about things?"

"Monica was Monica, a nine year old who swears she's grown. She just keeps wondering and questioning and all that good shit." Bri ran her fingers over Juice's abs and smirked. "Getting a little pudge babe. You used to be so ripped."

Juice looked at her, an eyebrow cocked as he smirked. "She comes off at least fifteen or sixteen half the time I swear. I forget that she's not that old when I talk to her at times. It's a trip." He knocked her hand off his stomach and pouted. "I'm not getting pudgy. I'm still ripped, I just ate a lot of shit today so my abs aren't popping like they used to."

She nodded, looking over at his kutte that was draped over the chair and narrowed her eyes. "You got a new patch babe? Men of Mayhem." She looked back at him and smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thanks babe." He pressed a kiss to her lips as he ran a thumb over her cheek. "Finally decorating the leather." He smiled, pulling her closer to him. "You wanna practice making that baby now?"

"No." She shook her head. "We gotta wait a few days until we can fool around again… It's my grumpy time of the month. All I wanna do is lay around, eat chocolate and sleep."

Juice laughed. "Okay grumpy, come here and let me cuddle you then."

"Not grumpy." Bri moved into his arms and shrugged. "Slightly difficult. That's what I am today. It's kinda sad to know that I'm not pregnant yet but there's always next month." She grabbed his arm and draped it over her body.

"I can't call you difficult though. It doesn't sound as cute as grumpy does." He buried his face in her messy hair and chuckled. "You smell like rain and sand."

"Shut up." She chuckled. "I smell like the hospital and hand sanitizer."

"Nope. I'm all up in your hair and you smell like the air does after it rains and wet sand." He sniffed her hair again and cackled. "Yeah! Rain and sand. Not a hint of nasty hospital or sanitizer. I would tell you if you smelled gross."

Bri sighed. "Yeah, I know you'd tell me if I smelled nasty… I never wanna smell displeasing to your nostrils. I put in my two weeks to the hospital though. I've decided I wanna spend more time as a mom and less time as a doctor. The administrator cried, she cried babe. I told her maybe I'd come back in a few years when Javi was older. I just need to be here for my loves and my career can wait a little bit, the world will always need doctors."

"When you start rolling around in the garden with Javi, I kinda dislike the perfume of all those flowers on the both of you." Juice rubbed his hands slowly over her flat stomach and nodded as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "She'll get over it… They shouldn't have been working you like a crazy person. Pretty sure other doctors can just work nine to five."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm in the garden." She shook her head. "Let's go to sleep. I need a power nap."

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"Juice." Monica poked at the man sitting at her mom's desk. "What're you doing in my mom's office? Huh?" She tried her hardest to insert herself into his line of view. "Why you on her laptop huh?"

Juice looked at her and smiled. "I'm fixing her laptop, she said it wasn't working too well. Why are you in her office huh?"

The brunette pointed to the unfinished piece of artwork in the corner of the office. "I'm in here to finish my work! I'm painting Happy a picture of the Bat Cave to hang up in his home. I'm gonna send it to him as a gift." She smiled as she rolled onto the large glass desk, her green eyes trained on Juice. "How'd she break her laptop?"

"Uh, too much junk on it. She keeps downloading programs and all that type of stuff." He looked at the green eyed beauty and smiled. "Your painting is looking really good, I know Happy will love it a lot."

"I told that woman to stop downloading so many things!" She sat up on the desk and began swinging her legs back and forth. "So, when you marry my mom are you going to be my step dad?"

Juice smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be your step dad. Will that be good with you?"

Monica nodded and grinned. "Yeah, it'll be good with me. Javi seems to love you as a dad so I'll be good with you being my step dad…I'm not calling you dad though, so get that thought out of your head right now." She tapped her knuckles against his head and smirked. "I'm still gonna call you Juice!"

He laughed. "The thought is out of my head. You knocked it right out." He smiled back at her. "I'll still call you Monica or Monster when you're not around…"

She gaped at him and shook her head. "You call me Monster!? So mean." She giggled and crossed her arms. "I call you JuJuBe when you're not around so we're even then huh?"

"Yeah we are." He grinned, feeling like he was actually bonding with the nine year old for the first time in a long time. "But JuJuBe though? Do you even know what that is?"

"Um, it's a fruit." She trailed her fingers through her bangs and smiled. "I'm so smart, I know things Juan Carlos!"

Juice chortled and shook his head. "You act, look and sound just like your mom! It's a trip." He watched her trail her fingers through her hair again and nodded emphatically. "Yeah! You are a shrunken down version of your mom! Accent and all!"

She slid off the desk and onto Juice's lap and looked at the laptop's screen. "So, you gonna teach me how to fix mom's laptop? I think it'll be a valuable lesson to learn." She tilted her head back and smiled at him. "First! Let's change mom's wallpaper to a picture of us. Hurry! take a picture of us on the camera."

He nodded, pulling up the camera function and smiling for a picture with the little brunette and quickly setting it as the laptop's background. "We looked good! We should be models or some shit. You think I could get a job as a model?"

Monica turned and looked at him. "Um, maybe if you grew your hair out! I don't think you'd be a high fashion model if you're walking around with that strip of hair on your head." She settled back against him and sighed. "Get to work Juice! Fix the laptop. I'm just gonna sit here and watch."

Juice laughed and started working on the laptop again, happy that he and Monica were enjoying each other's company. "Don't fall asleep on me though fancy face. I may need your help in a little bit." He shook his head as he heard her begin to snore softly. "Just like Bri, excited and awake one minute and snoring the next."


	3. Sofie

**November 18, 2011**

Bri sighed, looking in the backseat at her sleeping children before looking back up at the house she was parked in front of. She had reached out to her former sister and brother in law, hoping and wishing that they were down to talk, maybe hash shit out because at the end of the day, her problem was never with them but with their eldest brother. Her former husband, one that had met his demise and left her alone and pregnant. "Alright, here goes nothing." She checked her reflection in the mirror and smiled when she caught an image of Javi and Monica in the mirror. "Come on my loves, it's time to wake up." She got out of the car and moved to the backseat opening the door before running her hand over Monica's cheek. "Come on Moni, it's time to meet your dad's family."

"I get to meet Sofija and Volodymyr?" Monica rubbed her eyes and looked at her mom. "Do they know we're here?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yes, I called them after we got home from dress shopping and told them that you wanted to meet them and get to know them…" She helped the nine year old out of the SUV and fixed her hair. "You nervous or excited?"

Monica shrugged. "I'm not sure. I mean, I get to meet a whole new family but what if they don't like me?"

Bri frowned. "They're going to love you. They were excited when I was pregnant but they moved out of Russia when your father passed away and we stopped talking as much. I'm hoping it'll be good for all four of us to sit down and get to know each other. You're gonna have an aunt and uncle after we leave today."

The brunette nodded as she watched her mom help her little brother out of the Escalade. "Do I look cute?" She looked down at the brown lace up boots on her feet and sighed. "I was trying to look like Nik!"

"You nailed it babe. All you're missing is blonde hair." Bri smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "You look gorgeous, you always look gorgeous. I didn't have your sense of fashion when I was nine. I just wore my jumpers and khakis most of the time because I went to a private school."

"What is a jumper? Is it like my dress I wear to school?" Monica scrunched up her brow and frowned.

"A jumper is a sweatshirt babe." Bri shrugged. "We called the dresses you wear to school, pinafores."

"Sometimes you speak so weird mom." She laughed as she grabbed her mom's hand as they started up the walkway towards the large home. "This place is almost as huge as the Fortress! It's so cool!"

"Into architecture are you?" Bri smiled. "Maybe you'll love that when you're older, designing houses and buildings." She pressed the doorbell and adjusted Javi on her hip as they waited patiently for the door to open.

Moni nodded slowly. "Maybe. It'd be cool to design homes that people will live in a whole century from now." She smiled, watching as the door opened and revealed a pretty emerald eyed blonde.

"Hey Sofija." Bri smiled at the blonde. "Thanks for letting us come down for a visit."

Sofija nodded and smiled brightly at the brunette before dropping her eyes to Monica. "This is her? She's got the family eyes. Hi, I'm Sofija but you can call me Sofie."

"I'm Monica but you can call me Moni." The tiny brunette smiled back at the woman. "Your eyes are so pretty!"

"She has an accent." Sofie looked up to Bri and smiled. "I assumed she was just raised in the states."

Bri shook her head as they walked into the house. "Raised in Russia until she was seven. You remember I had done the whole adoption thing but I got her back recently because of some mess ups on my brother's part. She's been with me the last two years. I'm loving being her mom and having her as a daughter."

The blonde nodded slowly. "We were surprised that you reached out about her. We weren't the best support system when everything happened with Maximilian"

"It's okay, it was a tough situation for all of us." The brunette smiled as she set her son on the ground. "This is my son Javi by the way… He's a little shy sometimes."

"This is a nice house! Do you have any pictures of him? Of my dad? I wanna take some home if I can." Monica smiled up at Sofie. "I'm gonna put them on my picture wall, I started it a few weeks ago, Elijah got me a camera, printer and lots of ink."

"Elijah? He's still around?" Sofie smiled. "Yes, I actually brought out all the photo albums we have. From when your dad was a baby up until he passed away. I think we have a few wedding photos of your mom and dad. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress."

Bri nodded. "Yes, he's still around and kicking. Still wearing that suit and looking handsome as ever. It's too bad that you two didn't work out." She trailed her fingers through Monica's hair and smiled. "You're going to have to send us copies of pictures you don't want to part with. I'll pay for it."

"Yeah, too bad. I may have to come for a visit and see if we can't give it another go." Sofie shook her head. "No, nonsense. If you see any pictures you want, we'll make copies today. I have an office full of photo printers. I use them for work, graphic design."

"Does most of the family have green eyes?" Monica asked as she sat down in front of the coffee table that was covered in photo albums. "I think green eyes are so pretty, so many different shades."

She sat down next to Monica and nodded. "Yeah, green eyes are our thing. Your dad didn't think you'd get his eyes, he thought you were gonna have grey ones like your mom's. But look at you, you look like your mom but have his eyes and demeanor. You're a little bundle of hyper energy dear."

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"I got a whole stack of pictures." Monica climbed out of the front seat of the Escalade and smiled at her mom. "Look at them! So many pictures, I absolutely love them. Sofie said she is gonna come visit us soon. I'm excited for that she's pretty cool!"

Bri smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, it was fun looking through all those pictures. I'm glad you got to pick out your favorites. You gonna decorate them or just put them straight onto the wall?"

"I might put them on pretty papers then stick them on the wall." The brunette shrugged. "But look at this cool picture I got of 'Lijah and Sofie! It's cute huh? He's not even in his suit! He's dressed normal." She giggled as she saw Elijah walking towards them. "Look 'Lij! I got a picture of you and my auntie Sofie!"

Elijah smiled as he scooped up the little girl and kissed her forehead. "Let me see…" He took the picture and examined it carefully. "Ahh, I remember this day! It was after we had a picnic in the park and Sofija was chased by a swan." He passed the picture back and glanced over to Bri who was carrying Javi. "Didn't expect you back tonight, thought you would stay in L.A for a little while Bri."

"That one in your arms, she didn't wanna wait until tomorrow. She need to show her 'Lij the pictures she got so he could help her hang them all up on her picture wall." Bri patted the man on the shoulder and smiled. "Oh yeah, Sofija is coming up for a visit next week, she's bringing Volodymyr as well because he wasn't there today. I just thought I'd warn you, prepare for that crazy train Elijah."

"I thought you loved me." He set Monica on the first stair and shook his head. "Bri, I thought you loved me!"

The brunette shrugged. "I do love you, that's why I'm warning you about it." She smiled as they started up the stairs slowly. "It's okay, if she tries to go _Misery_ on your ass, I will save you. I promise."

Elijah shook his head. "Monica, go grab your art supplies for the pictures. I have to talk to your mom for a moment in private." He watched the nine year old disappear and took Javi from Bri's arms and entered the little toddler's room and rested him on the bed before walking back out and finding Bri standing by her bedroom door. "What is your game plan right now Brianna?"

She smirked. "I don't have any plans Elijah. Moni brought you up and Sofija said she'd love to come visit, talk to you, she if you guys couldn't try shit out again. You really liked her."

"Yeah, before she turned into a psycho." He sighed and dragged a hand down his face, trying to regain his composure. "She was hot but psycho."

Bri chuckled. "Yeah but this blonde isn't going to run you out of town if you two develop feelings for each other again… I'm just over that whole shit you had with Jacey and I think you need to focus on someone else… You can't look me in the eye and say you don't feel fucking bad for having to leave Monica two years ago. You're back here but for how much longer? What're you going to do when they move back in next door? Huh? You gonna just run back to Russia?"

"You know I feel bad." He pushed Bri into her bedroom and closed the door. "I also feel bad for the whole mess with Jacey… I'm just trying to do right by the people I love."

"Remember Elijah, you loved Monica first. She was everything to you when you first held her. You were the only one she would walk for, you remember that? No one could get her to walk but as soon as she saw you sitting across the living room she was determined and made her way to you holding onto anything and everything. That girl needs you but I'll be damned if I let you break her heart over some bullshit ass relationship that'll never work out." She poked his chest. "Get your shit in order Elijah. I'm asking you for the sake of the little beauty queen a few doors down." She pointed towards the door. "Go help her hang the pictures."

 **November 20, 2011**

"What're you doing?" Juice looked over at Bri and smiled at the look of pure concentration etched in her gorgeous features, her fingers were flying over the keyboard of her laptop. "Babe… Whatcha doing?" He licked his finger and shoved it into the brunette's ear and watched as she squirmed and tried to get away from him.

"So gross." Bri looked at him and shook her head. "Why would you want your spit in my ear babe!?"

"I just wanted attention." He laughed as he rested his head on her shoulder. "What are you up to? Who are you emailing right now?"

The brunette shrugged. "Emailing my gyno to make an appointment to check my level of fertility… She suggested I make an appointment so that's what I'm doing. She's gonna tell me exactly how many eggs I have left in my tank… I'm gonna freeze some though, in case Nik wants a little Hohrykova baby in the future with her future husband or wife."

"Pretty sure you're highly fertile, your body just doesn't wanna have a baby yet." He squeeze her thigh and smiled. "I think that's cute that you'd donate your eggs to your little sister. Even though you're on opposite sides of the spectrum. You're brunette and gorgeous and she's blonde and gorgeous. The eye thing will be a toss up though."

Bri shook her head and laughed. "I heard you had a thing for blue eyed blondes… I gotta make sure I let all the blondes know that you're on team grey eyed brunettes." She patted his head and smirked. "I just want her to be able to have a baby and be like that's half a Hohrykova… Which reminds me, my ex sister and brother-in-law are coming for Thanksgiving. I'm trying to put my shit aside and let Monica get to know some of her dad's family."

"Yeah _had_." He closed her laptop and laid across her lap grabbing her hands and placing them on his head. "That's fine. I won't hate them right?"

"Nah you won't hate them. They were nice to me when I showed up to marry their brother. Man, I hated that shit. I honestly didn't believe that arranged marriages were a thing in Russia until I was walking down the aisle and marrying a man in his forties when I was literally young enough to be his daughter. I am thankful for Monica though, I regret putting her up for adoption. I should have dropped out of school and taken care of her." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I love the wallpaper you guys put on the laptop. It's very cute."

"Well, you're her mom now. That's all that matters." Juice smiled. "She suggested it. I love hanging out with my _fancy face._ She's pretty cool, I like that she talks a lot and sometimes I even forget that she's only nine years old."

"She's a real jane of all trades that one… She's into architecture, Elijah bought her a camera. She just takes pictures of houses and buildings." Bri trailed her fingers over Juice's scalp and sighed contently. "I'm so happy that she's adjusting better to Happy being gone. I was starting to really worry about her."

"You know what I want to know about? The whole guardian thing, the suits… Like how'd that even start and why are they still around even though you're grown." He looked up at her, his eyelids half closed.

She smiled. "I honestly have no idea how it even started. I just know Aleksandr has been around since before I was born. It's just a family tradition, giant men in suits watch over the girls of the family when the parents can't or don't want to. It's like how all the club kids call your brothers Uncle, the suits are our extended family."

Juice nodded as he sat up slowly and eyed Bri. "Let's get to bed, I need cuddles." He stood up and linked his fingers through hers before gently pulling her to her feet. "I want you to rub my scalp and just relax with me." He lead her out of the office and to the stairs, taking them one by one before they reached the spacious loft area and continued on to their room. "Put those nails to good use."

Bri laughed as they fell onto the bed. "Alright, I'll massage your scalp and put you to sleep." She adjusted her position, allowing Juice to take his usual spot between her legs, his head on her stomach as she began trailing the tips of her nails over his scalp in small wave patterns. "Goodnight babe, I'll see you in the morning."

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 **thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad that you guys are enjoying it so far. It's going to be cute and easy for a little while before the drama starts. so, let me know what you thought.**


	4. Thankful

**This chapter maybe a tad bit jumpy... But the developing friendships and bonds are needed. Especially the one between Monica and Elijah. That'll be important in later chapters. So bear with me and I hope you enjoy this update.**

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 **November 22, 2011**

Monica furrowed her brow as she looked through the pictures on her camera. She had spent the better half of her day in the garden, taking pictures of the flowers and plants that were still around this time of year. It was an activity that kept her calm and focused, she lifted the camera up and took a quick picture of Elijah as he moved towards her, a bag in his hand as he stopped just short of the entrance into the garden. "Hey 'Lijah!"

Elijah smiled at the brunette as he held out a bag. "I got us some takeout and movies my dear. Just like you wanted. I also stopped at the bookstore on the way over, I picked up some photography books, maybe you'll enjoy reading them or you can put them on the little table in your room."

She nodded, a big smile appearing on her face as she walked towards him and peeked into the bag. "Thanks! You're the best." She hugged him and inhaled, taking in the woodsy cologne the man was wearing before pulling back. "You got a new cologne!"

He nodded. "How could you tell?"

"You used to smell musky and cinnamon like but now you smell like the woods and some I don't know, maybe some other spice." She shrugged her shoulders and held up her camera. "I want to take a picture of all of you suits! You, Aleksandr, Frey, the new one Anthony. I want a family picture of all of you… Can you take me over to the house so I can do it?"

"You have a good sense of smell baby girl." He lifted her up and tapped on the camera. "You're going to show me all the pictures after the movie? I'll take you over there, what're you going to do about Igor, he's not here."

"I'll show you all the pictures I took. I got some cool pictures of buildings when Juice took me downtown it was awesome! Next weekend he said he'll take me to Little Tokyo so I can see all the kawaii stuff that I love to collect." Monica smiled. "I'll take another family picture with Igor in it at another time. Igor is with Camryn, she stole him from me. I was sad about it then I remember I got you, Aleksandr, Frey and Anthony."

"If I ever go on a business trip, Anthony he'll be the one who watches you. Alright my love?" Elijah carried her into the house and straight into the large media room, setting her in her favorite recliner before sitting down in the recliner next to her. "You pick the movie. Do you want to watch Coraline again?"

"Alright. He's pretty cool but he's not Russian!" She shook her head. "We gotta watch The Nightmare Before Christmas." She grabbed the remote and brought up the movie menu and pulled up the movie. "It's my favorite movie right now besides Coraline and James and The Giant Peach."

He nodded and smiled. "It doesn't matter that he's not Russian. We trust him, that's all that matters." He looked at the large theater screen and scrunched up his face. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of watching this movie with you before. I've seen it with your mom though when she was a little younger."

Monica laughed and passed Elijah a takeout container. "She showed me this movie. She said she watched it more times than she should have."

"That sounds about right." Elijah grinned as he watched the nine year start to eat. "When we're done here, we can head over and make the guys take the pictures."

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"Guys come on! Look a little bit happy!" Monica shouted as she stood on a step stool, her camera aimed at the four men in suits. "I need you guys to look alive and not like corpses! Can I get a little bit of life in those eyes!?"

"We look alive." Frey smiled at the brunette. "Take a picture!"

"I'm smiling." Anthony nodded at Monica. "See, you can see it a little bit. I look handsome as hell in this suit."

"Grandpa, come on smile a little." Monica turned her green eyes on Aleksandr and smiled. "Look joyful, like you just got baklava!" She aimed at the men, finally smiling as they smiled back at her. "Finally! I got a few good pictures. Thank you!" She moved towards the men and held up her camera to show them the pictures. "You guys all look handsome, all your suits are basically the same color but the shirts and ties make you look different. These are going on my wall for sure." She hugged each of the men and grinned as she walked off away from them.

"She's got some talent for photography and design." Aleksandr watched Monica start snapping pictures of them again. "She's making me a proud _grandpa_."

"Have you talked to Bri? Sofija and Volodymyr are coming for Thanksgiving. She's been letting Monica get to know that side of her birth family." Elijah inquired as his brown eyes were on the little brunette who was now bossing Anthony and Frey around near the swimming pool.

He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I've talked to her. I think it's a good idea if they have pure intentions… I know you must be excited to see Sofie again." Aleksandr chuckled before moving away from Elijah and towards Monica. "Come on Monster, it's getting close to your bed time. I'll get you home. I need to see your little brother too. Pack up all your equipment."

Monica nodded as the large man lifted her off the ground. "I got it all packed up, I'm not packing up my camera. I need it out in case I see something cool on the way home… Let's go. I'm hungry and wanna see my mom."

 **November 24, 2011**

"I can't believe you actually made a whole Thanksgiving dinner." Nik looked over the spread of food that was covering almost every inch of her sister's massive kitchen. "I think you went a little crazy. Are you feeding a small country?"

Bri shrugged as she took the last pie out of the oven and set it on the cooling rack. "I want there to be enough for the guys to take home leftovers for a few days. I know I went a little overboard but I can't help it. My mothering instinct kicked in when I was grocery shopping for all of this food. It took two of those little bag boys to load all of this into the trunk of my car." She took off her oven mitts and set them aside. "Everyone should find something they love to eat."

The blonde nodded as she pointed towards the chicken. "I'm going chicken, turkey and ham… Tomorrow I'll be feasting on leftovers. I'm going to gain so much weight I swear to God Brianna. Is Svet coming to town? I know you two worked shit out and what about that Natalie, Natalia or whatever her name was?"

"Neither of them are coming for dinner. They already had plans." She sighed as she tapped her finger against her chin and eyed the food before looking at the clock. "Everyone who isn't here should be here soon. Dinner is in ten minutes. I don't know where Sofie and Volo are though. The suits are in the backyard with the babies."

"Maybe they decided to ditch you and this dinner." Nik ran her fingers through her long blonde hair as she looked around for a fork. "I'm quality control, let me taste these mashed potatoes really quickly."

"No!" Bri smacked her sister's hand and shook her head. "No taste testing… It's all amazing, take my word for it. Help me start taking this into the dining room. Everything except for the desserts."

"Look at you being a dictator." The blonde rolled her eyes as she washed her hands. "I can't promise I won't try to take a bite of the turkey as I carry it to it's destination." She hefted the turkey up and walked behind Bri into the massive dining room, setting the turkey down on the spot that read _turkey_. "You planned your food layout? That's insane."

"I wanted everything to fit, so I labeled it." She shrugged. "Let's just hurry up and get it all laid out. I am gonna start calling everyone in, to wash their hands and take a seat." Bri moved out of the dining room and back into the kitchen, grabbing the last few items before stopping at the French doors. "Dinner is ready! Come wash your hands and find a seat!"

"Mommy!" Javier came running inside first, stopping just short of his mom as he felt himself being lifted up. "Daddy taught me football!"

"That's so good Javi." Bri kissed his forehead and smiled. "Go get all washed up and I'll let you sit in my lap… Juice, you gotta clean your head, you've got mud on it." She kissed him and shook her head. "You guys are gonna love dinner."

"I know, it smells so good mama." Juice smiled and kissed Bri's lips softly. "I'm gonna eat so much, I may get a belly like Bobby's when I'm done."

"God help us all if that happens." She shook her head, watching the final person file into the house before kicking the door shut. "Monica, you look so gorgeous babygirl… Are you excited for your Aunt and Uncle to arrive?"

Monica nodded as she looked at her booties and smiled. "I'm a little excited, I wish they were here already though… What if they don't come over?"

Bri frowned. "Then we'll call them and call them out on their poor manners… Wash your hands, you're going to love everything. I made all of your favorite dishes and desserts."

"Sit down and relax now Bri." Nik pushed her sister into the dining room. "Everyone who matters is here already… Maybe they're running late because traffic is a bitch from LA to Oakland. Just enjoy the family that is here… Look what you did, you brought all of us together and look! None of the suits are in suits. They're just casual and relaxed."

"Yeah, look at them. They look relatable and nonthreatening." She kissed her sister's cheek before taking a seat and pulling Javi onto her lap. "Thank you guys for all coming. I know we're not the most religious family so we can skip out on the prayers and just know that each of us are thankful for something."

"I'm thankful for my family." Monica smiled as she held Aleksandr and Elijah's hands. "What about you grandpa?"

Aleksandr smiled at her. "I'm thankful for my girls, my grandson, my brothers. This ragtag family."

"I'm thankful for this family and that we're all healthy and happy." Elijah squeezed Monica's hand and smiled.

"I'm thankful for this food and this family. You've been better to me than my own family. I will be forever thankful and grateful for that." Frey smiled at everyone before taking a sip of his wine.

"I'm thankful for you guys allowing me in. I too am grateful for you allowing me to be part of this weird but amazing family dynamic." Anthony grinned as he nodded at Elijah.

"I'm thankful that I'm healthy, loved, cared for and have an amazing sister that always seems to be there for me. I love you Bri." Nik squeezed her sister's hand and flashed her signature smile.

Juice smiled, feeling a lump form in his throat before he cleared it. "You guys already know I'm thankful for this family, my son, my fancy face, my soon to be wife. I'm just happy that Bri gave me another chance and that you all did as well. I couldn't really see myself being in any other family."

"I'm thankful for the lot of you and Jacey, Happy, Camryn who aren't with us for Thanksgiving this year, _again_ but are here with us in spirit. Also thankful for Igor who is probably coloring right now." Bri kissed Javi's head. "What are you thankful for baby?"

"Family." Javi flashed a smile that resembled his father's as he clapped his hands. "Eat now mom!"

"You heard Javi… Everyone dig in!" Bri smiled as she started making a plate for Javier. "You're gonna be so sleepy after this baby. Me and you are gonna cuddle with your dad for a long time."

"Damn." Juice looked at Bri and smiled. "This turkey is so good! I know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow."

"Damn." Javi imitated his dad. "Turkey!"

"You can't say that baby, it's an adult word." Bri tapped the two year old on his nose and smiled. "Juice watch your mouth."

"Damn. I can't say turkey?" He shook his head as he covered his mouth. "Sorry mama."

"No baby, you can say turkey. You can't say damn." The brunette shook her head. "Just eat your food. After this, I still have an assortment of desserts, so leave a little room for dessert guys."

"Listen to your mom." Juice rubbed his son's cheek. "This is so good, I cannot wait for dessert." He smiled at Bri who was feeding Javi his macaroni and cheese. "This is the best Thanksgiving we've had together so far." He reached out and rubbed a thumb over her cheek before smiling at everyone else who was talking and eating. "You did amazing Bri."

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Bri jumped on Elijah's back as he walked into the foyer and towards the heavy wooden front doors. "Where ya going?" She rested her chin on his head and moved it back and forth. "You trying to escape us already? Too much hyperness for you 'Lijah?"

Elijah shook his head, grabbing the brunette and pulling her towards his front as he stared at her for a moment. "No, I have a guest coming over and I wanted to go for a short stroll before I brought her into this craziness."

"Oh! A _her_?" The brunette smiled as she slid down the man's body and poked at his face. "Let me grab Monica and Javi, we'll make it a family walk and we'll met her. Just the main three loves of your life. No big deal. What's her name? Where'd you meet her? Is she a blonde?"

He chuckled as he eyed the grey eyed beauty before him. "Her name is Kaia, she's a brunette. I met her at the mall a few weeks ago when I took Monica to get new dance clothes." He smiled. "I quite like her and she likes me. So, I want you all to meet her."

Bri smiled and nodded slowly. "Let me go get your babies!" She grinned as she moved around him. "I'm so excited for you E! You have no fucking clue, I'm jumping out of my skin right now. Monica! Monica! Monica! Javier! Javier! Javier!"

"Mom! Javier is sleeping." Monica stomped over to her mom and Elijah. "What is the emergency right now huh? Did Sofie and Volo call back? I can't believe they stood me up!"

"Nope they haven't called back yet but when they do, I'm gonna need you to cover Javier's ears because I'm gonna cuss those twats out." The brunette pulled her daughter into a hug. "Elijah has a girlfriend! He wants us to meet her!"

The nine year old nodded and smiled. "Kaia! The woman from the dance store that you couldn't stop smiling at!?"

Elijah nodded. "Yes, she's the one and she's probably outside. I was going to take her on a walk before bringing her inside but your mom suggested that you two walk with us and get to know her in a causal way."

"Wait! You know her already?" Bri looked at Monica. "Do I look cute? I don't look fat right?" She ran her hands over her exposed midriff and smiled. "Fuck it, it's Thanksgiving, everyone looks heavier after a large dinner." She pulled open one of the doors and stepped out, her grey eyes quickly landing on a gorgeous brunette. "Elijah, you did so damn good. Look at her. She's a Greek goddess, look at that tan!"

"You could tell she's Greek?" Elijah shook his head and moved towards Kaia, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm glad you could make it today… I hope you don't mind, Bri and Monica want to join us. I tried to sneak out but Bri caught me and invited herself and her daughter on the walk, she's eager to meet you."

Kaia smiled at the brunette and pulled her into a friendly hug. "I'm Kaia, you can call me Kai. I've heard so much about the two of you. I'm happy to finally meet you Bri and it's nice to see you again Miss Monica. How are those new leggings treating you?"

Monica smiled. "They're so comfortable. I have the black pair on right now." She pointed towards her legs before interlacing her fingers with Elijah's. "Elijah is a good walking buddy, he takes me for walks."

"Awesome. We got those leggings in new colors too, I'll give some to Elijah to give to you." Kaia smiled as she felt Elijah lace his fingers with hers. "Did you have a good Thanksgiving dinner Eli? Mine was dramatic, my sister decided to announce she is pregnant and had run off to Vegas to get married. It was insane."

Elijah smiled and nodded. "It was quite pleasant, no drama unless you count a war over the last red velvet cupcake between Monica and Bri as drama… They ultimately split it in half." He ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Well, that should blow over by Christmas, something more dramatic may come along."

"I'd go to war over a red velvet cupcake. They're pretty good." The brunette smiled at the man as they all reached the end of the driveway. "Bri, your house is huge! I was looking at all the others on the way over and it's by far the biggest one."

"I know! It's why we call it _The Fortress_." Bri smiled. "The house directly next to us, the one right there is _The Batcave_." She pointed towards Jacey's house, pausing as Jacey's car pulled into the driveway. "Look Moni, they're home!"

"Can I go say hi?" Monica looked between Elijah and her mom, her green eyes becoming brighter. "Can I?"

Bri nodded. "Yeah baby, let's go say hi… Sorry to cut our walk short but Jacey's my best friend and I gotta welcome her back. It was nice meeting you Kaia, feel free to make yourself at home when you get inside the house. I promise it's comfortable. Elijah, don't make her walk too far, her shoes are too cute for that!" She smiled at the pair before grabbing Monica's hand and walking towards Jacey's house as Happy and Kozik pulled into the driveway on their bikes. "Jacey!" She hopped on her best friend and hugged her tightly. "You missed Thanksgiving dinner by like an hour!"

Jacey laughed shaking her head as she hugged her best friend back. "It's good to see you too babe!" She smiled as she saw Monica attack Happy. "It's good to be back."

"I'm so happy!" The brunette looked in the backseat of the SUV and smiled. "The ride kicked her little ass huh?" She eyed the sleeping toddler carefully. "Aleksandr's free today if you still need a cuddle session with him. You also have to meet the new suit, he's handsome as hell, name's Anthony."

The blonde chuckled and shook her head. "Calm down, I just pulled into the driveway. One thing at a time. I have to get settled back in before I wander over there and start cuddling and meeting new suits."

Bri nodded, turning around slightly to see Elijah and Kaia walking back into her yard. "I know, I'm just so damn excited to have my sister back! Which reminds me, Nik is home for good. She moved back from New York."

"Who's that with Elijah?" Jacey looked at her friend. "Nik is home for good? I need to cuddle with her too."

"That's Kaia, I think she's his girlfriend… He just introduced us like fifteen minutes ago." The brunette shrugged and smiled. "I'll send her over here when you're all settled in. I do have to head back home. I gotta make a call and see if Juice is still alive." Bri pulled Jacey into a hug and kissed her cheek. "I'm so happy to have you home! Monica probably won't leave, so she'll stay and I'll have Frey come get her in thirty minutes. Love you Jacey." She smiled before jogging out of the driveway and towards her house, only to see a Bentley pulling into the driveway. "Fuck me, right now."

"Bri!" Sofie emerged from the backseat of the luxury car and pulled the brunette into a hug instantly. "Your house is gorgeous! Sorry we're late, the traffic was awful and we got held up during a crash. Sorry that you and Monica thought we simply stood you up. We didn't."

Bri nodded. "It's fine, she's next door at her aunt's right now but she'll be back in thirty minutes. I'm glad you guys are here, she's going to love it. Hey Volo." She pulled the large man into a hug and smiled as he lifted her off the ground. "It's good to see you too."

Volodymyr set Bri back down on her feet and smiled. "You look more gorgeous than you did at nineteen. Look at you, you've filled out nicely."

The blonde popped her brother. "You don't say that to a woman!"

"Bri!" Juice walked out of the house, pausing to look at the pair. "Javier wants you to cuddle with him babe."

"I'll be right there." Bri smiled. "Sofie, Volo, that's my fiance Juice. Juice is a nickname, just go with it and don't question it. Come on, let's go inside, it's starting to feel sort of cold." She moved towards Juice, lacing her fingers through his. "Shit is about to hit the fan." She mumbled to him as they moved back into the house.

"Why?" He whispered back as he watched Elijah begin to lead a brunette upstairs. "He's gonna get laid."

"Elijah!" Sofie looked at the man, smiling once he turned around. "Hey…"

"Hello Sofie." Elijah flashed her a tense smile. "I'll be down in a moment to greet you properly, I'm giving my _girlfriend_ Kaia a tour of the home." He touched the brunette's lower back, urging her to continue up the stairs.

The blonde looked at Bri. "I thought he was single."

"I didn't know about her until today, I promise you that." Bri looked at Sofie and shrugged. "Let's just hang out in the living room… I have a feeling tonight's going to end with a real bang." She watched everyone file into the living room, her grey eyes instantly on Javi who was curled up in Juice's recliner. "Come on babe, let me cuddle you." She picked up the little boy and dropped into the large bean bag chair. "This is going to be an eventful Thanksgiving night." She whispered against Javi's head as she watched Volo and Sofie speak to each in the corner. "Very eventful."


	5. Fancy Face

**November 27, 2011**

Three days and Bri was at her wits end with her two house guests; Sofie and Volodymyr. They had come for Thanksgiving and hadn't left yet. Instead they proceeded to rearrange her living room, family room and critique her on her choice to stop being an ER doctor and work at a women's clinic. "You worked so hard to be a doctor, no need to throw it away by becoming a 9 to 5 doctor… That's what they said to me babe! But for the motherfucking record! I went to school to become a fucking surgeon!"

"Calm down babe!" Juice shook his head and wrapped his large arms around the brunette and rested his chin on her neck, admiring their reflection in Bri's antique full length mirror. "Don't let them get to you… You are doing what's right for you and your family. That's respectable Brianna. Don't let them diminish your achievements with their bullshit opinions. Most doctors your age are still doing residencies and shit. You were so talented that you got handed your own office and a few doctors to boss around. You've done nothing but amazing things."

The brunette nodded her head and smiled. "I'm excited for it. The new job at the clinic. It's an amazing schedule for when we do have another child. It's open and I can still work until I'm ready to pop." She turned around in his arms and locked her fingers behind his neck as she kissed his lips tenderly and smiled. "I'm happy. We're in an amazing place, we're running off to Vegas in February to get married. It's just going to be an amazing ass time."

He nodded and lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and smiled. "You're gonna be a sexy ass bride. I swear. Are we making it a family thing? Or just us?"

"Family thing. I want the kids involved. So, a family friendly venue for the wedding but you can still have your bachelor party with your boys and I'll be lounging around with my girls. I don't wanna get all wild. Plus, I'll have the babies with me." She kissed him and smiled. "I'm stoked to be your wife."

Juice squeezed her ass. "Anything for you babe." He carried her to their bed and tossed her onto it before crawling on top of her and resting his head on her chest. "These things are so comfortable. I swear I could use them as pillows forever."

"You're a fool, I swear!" Brianna laughed as she wrapped her legs around Juice. "I just wanna marry the love of my life… It's what I've wanted since I met you."

"Now it's happening. Better late than never." He squeezed her sides before burying his face in her cleavage. "I'm gonna just lay here… I hope you have nothing good planned because I'm not letting you up…"

"I don't have anything planned. If Javi wakes up from his nap or something, then you'll just be getting up to handle him." She rubbed his shoulders and smiled. "I love you babe."

"I love you too." Juice kissed her collarbone and smiled. "Now just hush so we can nap before our son wakes up."

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Bri walked into the living room, suddenly tensing up as she saw Sofie and Nik standing toe to toe, both blondes yelling back and forth about some bullshit. "Hey, hey!" She moved towards the pair, suddenly seeing Elijah, Frey and Kaia all standing around, doing nothing but waiting to see exactly what was about to transpire. "What's going on here?"

"She's trying to push up on Elijah, she's disrespecting Kaia." Nik growled, her eyes never leaving Sofie. "She's being a bitch."

" _Bitch_?" Sofie shook her head and slapped Nik, creating instant chaos. "He was mine first and I want him back!"

"Oh hell no!" The brunette hopped on the sofa and jumped off, only to be caught mid-air by Frey who had her pinned to the wall before she could protest properly. "Sofie! No one fucking hits my little sister! No one! Let me the fuck go Frey!"

Frey smirked at Bri. "Calm down, calm down and I'll let you go." He looked back to see Kaia and Sofie now shouting at each other through Elijah. "Most drama he's been involved in since that Jacey shit."

Bri groaned, rolling her eyes as she submitted and melted into Frey's grip. "I'm not fighting you on this anymore."

He shrugged. "I'm gonna take advantage of my power here." He smiled at her. "Look at that, they got rid of Sofie and Volo for you. Only took a fist fight to get rid of those obnoxious siblings."

"Whatever." She pushed away from Frey and moved to her sister. "You okay?" She examined the blonde closely and smiled. "Nice sucker punch…"

Nik rubbed her face and smiled. "Thanks… I didn't wanna be petty but she had it coming." She trailed her fingers through her blonde hair and smiled. "Good job Kaia. You turned into a ferocious little thing."

Kaia smiled. "Yeah, thanks." She nodded as she felt Elijah's hand fall to her hip. "Thanks for decking her, I enjoyed seeing that."

"Anytime." The blonde nodded as she watched the couple leave the room. "Welp, I think she may just last in this chaos we have going for us."

Bri shrugged as she hopped on her sister and they dropped to the sofa. "My baby sis just hit my ex sister-in-law… This has to be some trippy family shit. Only us huh? You gonna come with me in a few days for my test results. I'm so nervous. I really think there's something wrong with me. I don't think I'll be having another baby."

"I'm pretty sure you'll be popping out at least one more kid… You and Juice need a daughter. I wanna see that genetic mash up. I mean look at Monica? She's totally got your genes and Happy's sunny disposition." Nik chuckled as she laid flat on top of her sister.

"Don't even get me started! I need another daughter! Then my life would be complete!" The brunette groaned. "Monica is too much like him and it's really creepy… Attached at first meeting."

"Are you sure you never snuck to Cali and slept with Happy?" The younger sister laughed. "I mean, I wouldn't blame you and him for keeping that secret…"

Bri shook her head. "You're being insane if you think that situation is plausible."

"It's totally plausible." Nik nodded emphatically. "You two could've had a drunken hook up, you ended up knocked up and then never told him and when you got that call from Jacey and came back you realized that she was with your baby's daddy and you could no longer say shit about it so…"

The brunette laughed. "Alright. You keep that idea in your mind and take it next door to Happy."

"I will." Nik nodded and smiled. "I need to check in on daddy Happy anyways, with his fine ass. Mmm, mmm, mmmmm… Maybe I'll ask him if he'll ink me or something. I do wanna get a new piece." She pushed off her sister and grinned widely. "I'm about to go rub my scent on Happy and see how fast it takes Jacey to track me down and say some shit."

Bri sighed. "I swear to God, don't go over there today and be problematic… Let the theory sink in for at least a week or maybe even longer." She poked at her sister's thighs. "Be a good little sister and don't go messing that up over there… They're happy and need to be that way so they don't regret coming home."

 **December 5, 2011**

"Monica, you ready for therapy today?" Juice asked as he led the tiny brunette into the doctor's office. "Or have you had enough of her shit yet?"

"I've had enough of her shit." Monica laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I do like talking to her though, I don't like her trying to make me do so much activity. Sometimes I just wanna lay down and waste my day. Ya know?"

He nodded as he lifted her up and draped her over his shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean… I'll tell your mom we had some car trouble, missed your appointment. I'll reschedule. Let's go have some fun, be lazy in the park or something."

"Really?" She smiled widely as he set her back in the car. "Let's get some fries from McDonald's, a burger from Fat Burger, and a frosty from Wendy's then lay around in the park and be lazy bums!"

"Oh hell yeah!" He nodded and smiled. "I'm so down for that." He buckled her in before jogging around and climbing into the driver's seat. "We have to get the fries last because we want them hot and fresh!" He backed out of his spot and directed the car to the first restaurant. "We're going to have the best lazy afternoon, I promise Fancy Face."

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"Look at the duck!" Monica rolled over onto her stomach and pointed at the duck that was just inches away from her and Juice. "Do you think it'll eat this old fry?" She held it out, watching as the duck waddled closer to her and bit back her laughter as the duck snactched the fry from her hand. "He took it!" She sat up and tossed the last fries to the duck and screeched as a goose came rushing towards the scene. "Bad goose!"

Juice laughed, watching his step daughter have a ball with trying to get the goose away from the ducks. "Be careful, he may attack if you're too mean."

The brunette shrugged. "I'm not afraid of a goose! He can't bully the little duck." She looked at her step dad and smiled a smile that was eerily identical to her mom's. "The big guy can't pick on the little guy, it's not fair." She tossed her empty Frosty cup at the goose, rushing behind Juice as he honked at her. "That was super close huh?"

He nodded. "I told you not to mess with him." He lifted her up and shook his head as he picked up their blanket and trash. "You wanna swing for a little bit? Maybe slide, enjoy your time being lazy and a child."

Monica tapped on the man's head and nodded. "I wanna swing on the swings! I wanna go across the monkey bars!" She dropped to her feet and sprinted towards the playground. "Come on Juice!"

"Be careful!" He shook his head as he watched her climb up to the monkey bars and start her way across them. "Fuck it!" He dropped the blanket on the park bench and walked to the monkey bars, trying to catch up with Monica who was halfway through the maze of bars. "You're pretty fast at these things."

"I'm the Monkey Bars Queen!" She laughed as she dropped down to the platform and looked at Juice who had lost momentum halfway through the course. "You suck at these!" She jumped off the platform, her green eyes scanning the park closely before they fell on a suspicious figure sitting on the bench across from them, watching Juice. "Juice!" She ran towards him and looked up at him. "There's someone watching you…" She whispered as she pointed in the direction and watched the smile fall from the man's face.

Juice dropped down, grabbing Monica's hand. "We have to go, now." He shook his head. "Don't ask any questions… We just need to get to the car, got it Moni?"

She nodded as she let him lead her back towards his car and furrowed her brow as he helped her inside before getting in himself. "You're ok, right JuJu?"

He nodded and looked back at her. "Yeah, I'm ok Fancy." He pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the house, habitually checking the rearview mirror in case the man was following them. "Sorry that the lazy day was cut short."

Monica shrugged. "It's ok! I had so much fun. I just wish I would have brought my camera along today." She yawned as she settled into the seat and looked straight ahead. "I love you Juice. Thanks for the amazing day."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you had fun." He smiled back at her. "I love you too Monica.

"It was awesome, I don't get to nap in the park everyday. It was special and fun." She kicked her feet back and forth. "I'm gonna write about it in my journal and draw pictures for it…"

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"What'd you do to Moni?" Bri wrapped her arms around Juice and kissed his bare back. "She just knocked right out after dinner."

Juice shrugged. "We had a fun day. Don't get mad but we skipped out on therapy, she wasn't up for it and just wanted a chill day in the park."

"I'm not mad." The brunette smiled. "I'm glad you two had a chill day in the park… You didn't let her eat any dirty right? Don't need that shit like you did with Javi."

He turned around and laughed. "She didn't eat any dirt. I told you I turned my back on him for ten seconds and when I turned around he had a mouth full of dirt from the potted plant. It wasn't like it was dirt from the park."

"You still let him eat dirt." She shrugged as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "I love you soo much my little geek ass nerd."

"I love you too my little badass doctor with a nice fat ass." He smirked as she palmed her ass. "Never gonna get tired of that booty… So grippable."

The brunette smirked. "I didn't even think grippable was a word but whatever. I love that adjective." She rubbed his sides and poked at her name that was on his chest. "Say you wanna love meee…"

Juice laughed as he lifted up the brunette onto the island and took a place between her legs as he rested his head on her chest. "I wanna love youuuuu!"

"Ohhh, I loveee youuu!" Bri laughed as she rubbed a hand over her boyfriend's mohawk. "Grow your hair back out babe! I need something to grab onto when you go down on me…" She murmured against his forehead.

He swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll get on that right away baby." He squeezed her thighs before looking up at the sound of the door leading to the garage opened up and Frey stepped through it. "Hey man."

Frey looked at the couple and furrowed his brow. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I was just returning Bri's car… It's all in working order. I just need to wash my hands, with soap."

Bri smiled at Frey. "Thanks Frey!" She watched him move to the sink as she wrapped her limbs back around Juice and kissed him. "I'm so excited to see my car… I'm gonna try to wait until the morning to see the new paint job."

"It looks really good." He smiled at her. "Enjoy your night guys."

"It's creepy how he comes and goes so quietly half the time." Juice shook his head as he lifted the beauty off the island. "Let's go upstairs and get down to it."

The brunette laughed. "I don't think we're gonna be getting down to it… Javi just walked into our bedroom baby."

Juice groaned as he walked up the stairs faster and went straight into the bedroom and shook his head as he saw Javier settling into the middle of the bed. "Damn it." He let Bri slide down his body and watched as she climbed into bed and cuddle the toddler. "Babe, I'm going insane!"

She nodded. "In the morning babe. I promise you that…"

"Fine." He dropped onto the bed and buried his face in the pillow. "Goodnight… I love you two."

Bri rolled off the bed as she looked down to find Javi asleep. "Come on babe." She tugged on Juice's sweats. "We can do a bathroom quickie like old times." She laughed as he instantly moved off the bed and lifted her up. "I knew you'd be down for that."

Juice nodded as he carried her into the bathroom and shut the door behind him and locked it before setting her on the large sink. "I need you so damn bad Brianna." He hissed as he pushed his sweats and boxers down his body and let his manhood spring free.

"Fuck me Juan Carlos." Bri lifted her hips off the sink and pushed her shorts down her legs and kicked them off as she was jerked forward roughly to the edge of the sink.

He licked his fingers before rubbing them over her pussy and guiding his cock towards her entrance and pushing into her roughly as he gripped her hips tightly as her legs wrapped around him. "So fucking good baby." He ran his thumb over her lips before slipping into her mouth. "So damn good."

"God…" Bri mumbled as she sucked the tip of Juice's thumb before letting her head fall back as she braced herself against the sink as he continued to slam into her. "That sexually frustrated baby?"

He nodded as he pulled her tightly against him and shortened his thrusts as he worked himself up. He wasn't just working through frustration but through the secret he was keeping from the gorgeous brunette. "Everytime I want you, something comes up…" He dipped his head, running his tongue over her nipples as he admired the piercings that were prominent against her skin. "Gonna have to get rid of those damn things again when you get pregnant babe." He slowly moved one hand up her body and squeezed her right breast as he drilled into her, smirking as he heard her moans get louder as her body responded positive to his motions and touches.

"I know baby." She sighed as she felt her orgasm start. "Fuck babe, I'm gonna cum babe…" She moaned as she closed her eyes and let her body submit to the pleasure he was giving her. "Damn…"

Juice kissed her roughly as his own climax hit him and his body tensed up as he continued to pound into her as he began to spill his seed into her. "Fuck babe…" He mumbled as he kissed her, sucking on her bottom lip as he continued to thrust until he was completely spent.

"Fuck." Bri looked up at Juice as he helped her sit up. "That was not like our usual quickies babe… Not at all." She shook her head and smirked as she rubbed a hand over her pussy and shivered. "I'll be feeling that later."

He furrowed his brow and kissed her. "Didn't mean to be that rough."

She shook her head. "I loved it." She kissed him and smiled as she slid off the sink and hugged him. "I need my shorts…" She watched him bend over and toss them to her. "I promise we're gonna have a whole lot more sex." She poked his lower back.

Juice smiled as wrapped his arms around her and walked them out of the bathroom and back towards the bed. "Good because I need you always… I love you." He held onto her as he fell onto his back on the bed, mindful that Javi was still asleep in the middle of it. "Go to sleep, you got a big day tomorrow."

Bri kissed his neck and snuggled up to him. "I love you too."

* * *

 **AN: As a fair warning, I will be only updating this story possibly once a week, due to the lack of fan base. If the amount of readers and feedback increase than I may update at least once a week for sure and twice if the feedback is really well. More support means more updates and no support means the story will just be tossed to the side.  
**


	6. Pissed

**December 10, 2011**

"No! No!" Monica screamed as she balled her hands into fists and glared up at her mom, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears. "He didn't leave!" She shouted, her voice starting to waver as she tried her hardest to bite back her tears. "He didn't leave!"

Bri looked down at her daughter and nodded. "It's only for a week babe, he'll be back in no time." She moved closer to her daughter only to be pushed away by the nine year old. "He's coming back. He's not staying gone Monica."

The brunette shook her head, her wavy hair bouncing about her face as she stomped her feet. "Call him! Make him come back right now!" She wiped viciously at her face as she continued to glare up at her mom. "I want Elijah here! I don't want him in Russia working! Mom make him come back right now!"

"I'll call him." She nodded. "Just go relax baby, go take some pictures or take a nap. I'll keep calling him until he picks up and tells me he's coming home to you."

Monica nodded, stomping out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, only being stopped when she ran into Anthony. "Move out of my way!" She pushed at his legs. "I'm pissed off right now!"

He shook his head and smirked down at her. "My bad Miss Lady." He stepped out of her way and watched as she stomped up the stairs. "Don't keep it all in. Go punch some shit or something Monica. You have a punching bag, put it to good use."

She rolled her eyes and continued stomping until she reached her room and swung the door shut violently before throwing herself onto her plush white carpeted floor and screaming into it until her throat grew sore. "Stupid Elijah! I hate you! You always leave me! You're stupid!"

"I heard screaming." Aleksandr waltzed into Monica's room and lifted her off of the floor and carried her to her bed and sat down. "Talk to me _kukla_ , what's the matter huh?"

"Stupid ass Elijah! He left me again! I didn't even get to say goodbye!" Monica crossed her arms over her chest. "I hate him so much! He's always leaving me for no damn reason! I hate it so much grandpa!"

He chuckled, twirling a piece of her hair around his fingers. "You sound just like your mom did when I'd leave her." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "You gotta find something to keep you busy. Why not go bug your dad and see if he'll punch the punching bag with you or something. Work that anger out."

"I'm not angry. I don't know what you're talking about." She turned her head away from him and looked out the window, seeing the Bat Cave standing tall. "Fine! I'll go see my dad! I hate Elijah though! Tell him that if you see him, alright?" She moved off the man' lap and stomped into her closet, looking at her workout clothes before picking out a black and red set and pulling it on quickly before grabbing her wraps and gloves. "I'll be back! But seriously tell Elijah he's a stupid ass and I hate him!"

Aleksandr bit back a chuckle and shook his head. "I will make sure to deliver that memo. Have fun Monica."

Monica nodded her head and smiled at the man. "I'll have fun! I promise." She pulled her hair back into a ponytail before shoving her feet into a pair of Pumas. "I'm going to beat the hell out of the punching bag!"

"Watch your mouth too though baby girl." He glared at her. "I'm gonna walk you to the gate and make sure you don't get kidnapped or something."

"Alright." She rolled her eyes and allowed him to take her hand as they walked out of her room and down the stairs. "I'm so pissed off right now! Holy shiitake mushrooms grandpa!" She shook her head and sighed.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know." He pulled open the front door and let her walk out before him. "Let's get you to your dad's."

Monica nodded as she clenched and unclenched her fists as they made the short walk to the house. "Thanks for walking me over grandpa." She hugged the man and smiled before running off to the front door and pressing the doorbell twice before turning her attention to the door knocker and slamming it against the door each time she jumped up. "Dad! Open the door right now!"

The front door opened slowly, revealing Jacey as she wore a confused look. "What the -? Babe, what's wrong?" She pulled the little girl inside the house. "Happy's not here yet, if that's why you're here." She frowned, squatting to be level with her step-daughter.

"Stupid Elijah left without telling me!" Monica crossed her arms and huffed. "I came over to punch the bag with my dad."

Jacey frowned, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, babe, I wish I could help… If you want, you can go ahead and go down there and start some stretches and wait on him." The blonde shrugged. "But you can stay up here with me, you can yell at me and get some of the emotion out."

"Anthony and my grandpa told me to direct my anger at the punching bag." The brunette shrugged. "What're you up to?"

The blonde nodded. "I'm by the pool, i've got my camera, just being really bored while Cam sleeps." She shrugged, standing up and holding out her hand. "I think I could use your help though, I've been just snapping random things."

"Oh, bored is bad." Monica shook her head before grabbing Jacey's hand and smiling up at her. "I'll help you out."

Jacey shrugged. "Yeah I know but this is how I got right now… I was going to come over for a little while once she woke up but that depends on how she feels." The blonde led the brunette to the backyard, sitting down at the table. "Here, try this one… It's my newest one, it was a birthday gift from your dad."

The brunette nodded and looked at the camera before looking up at Jacey and smiling. "It looks so cool… How do you like it? You should come over if Cam feels better. Auntie Nik and mom are cooking dinner, so it'll be a fun time. I can show you my picture wall and we can use my cool polaroid camera and add you and Cam to my wall."

"It's very cool, I love it a lot." She nodded her head before shrugging. "I don't know, Monica, I'll see what's going on here. Hap might bring home Kozik and Case." She smiled. "I bet Camryn would love that, plus she loves seeing you and Javi."

"Oh, alright." Monica nodded. "I just thought you'd love to hang out with mom and Nik! Mom is making those red velvet cupcakes and cookies. I know how much you like those things. They're my favorite too." She shrugged. "You can always bring them."

Jacey smiled, nodding her head. "It's a little up in the air right now, but once Happy tells me what's going on with our plans." She picked up her cell phone, looking at the time. "He should be here soon, babe… Ya know Hap has never had red velvet cookies?"

"Ok, that sounds good." Monica nodded again and set the camera back onto the table. "No way! He needs to try some, huh? If you can't come over I'll save you some, ok?"

The blonde laughed, nodding her head. "I think I may just cancel whatever plans he has so we can come over, I think he needs to try some cookies." She smiled. "I'll call your mom once Happy gets here."

"He really does need to try them." The nine year old giggled. "I think there's Italian food for dinner. You like Italian right? It's like some type of spaghetti, it has a funny name."

Jacey smiled and nodding. "That sounds great, now I'm even more excited for -." She was interrupted by a rough hand covering her mouth so she tilted her head back to see her boyfriend smiling at her.

"Hey blondie…" He bent down to kiss her forehead before he covered her mouth and moved to pick up Monica. "What are you doing here? I don't remember you saying you'd be here today."

Monica shrugged. "I was sent over here to work out my anger on the punching bag." She smiled. "Elijah left me today."

"Well wasn't that just mean of him? You know he'll be back though... " Happy shrugged. "Come on, let's go down to the gym."

"Yeah but I hate him. He didn't even say goodbye or anything." The brunette growled. "He's a dumbass."

Happy huffed, shaking his head. "What have I told you about that cussing and shit? Knock it off, Monica. You can be as mad as you want but you need to watch your language."

"Don't cuss." Monica nodded. "I won't cuss. I'm sorry but I'm just so angry with Elijah! I want him to stop leaving me."

The man shook his head. "I'm the adult, I can do what I want… You are the kid, follow my damn instructions and you won't get in trouble. Be mad, that's fine just direct the anger the right way.." He led her into the house and downstairs to the gym.

"I'm sorry!" The brunette rubbed her forehead before toying with the velcro on her gloves. "I'm not gonna do it again."

Happy nodded, kissing her head before setting her down on the black carpeted floor. "You know what to do, kid, stretch before anything then get to work. I'll be back in a second." He nodded his head before disappearing into a small room off to the side to change his clothes and wrap his hands before moving back into the spacious gym. "You need to be talking with Elijah about this if you don't want him leaving ya anymore."

"I didn't know he was leaving until Anthony came over." Monica shrugged as she stretched her arms above her head. "When Elijah leaves, Anthony shows up."

The man nodded his head. "Well kid, why don't you give him a call and express your anger towards him…" He shrugged as he started to stretch his arms outward.

"No, no." She wagged a finger in the air. "I'm too angry to call him right now. Mom told me the last thing I ever wanna do is try to have a conversation with the person I'm angry with because I may say something I regret when I'm calm."

Happy shrugged. "Jacey does it to me all the time… That's how I got her to agree that kids were out of the question after we have this baby." The man grinned. "She hates the pregnancy process but she makes quite the amount of promises during her angry phases."

"I dunno. Mom says you guys will have another kid." Monica started to slowly wrap her hands and shrugged. "What? She's a gossip queen you know this."

The man nodded his head. "Trust me, I know kid." He smiled at her. "We're gonna find it the baby is a boy or girl in a few days, but I think your mom is having another on those parties like we had for Camryn. You gonna be there or hiding out?"

"Depends on the day. I may have plans with Cali and Grayson." She smiled up at him. "But if there's gonna be pizza and cupcakes, I may be inclined to forgo my plans for a baby party."

Happy chuckled, nodding his head. "Your mom is hosting this damn thing… you know pizza and cupcakes will be there."

"Well, then I'll make an appearance." She nodded as she got her gloves on. "My instructor at the gym, he told me to take up wrestling but I don't wanna wear that weird onesie thing."

Happy laughed, shaking his head. "No… Don't take up wrestling. I don't have the time to be going to jail for killing a little shithead for hitting you." He pushed her toward his assortment of punching bags.

"Grayson and I wrestle during class all the time but that's because I think he's cute." Monica looked at the big punching bag before starting to punch it, just as she's done a hundred times before.

Happy grabbed her shoulders, stilling her. "Who is Grayson, kid? Why haven't I met him?" He squared her off, positioning her perfectly so she wouldn't throw out her shoulders.

"He's my best friend but I think he's gonna be my boyfriend." The brunette shrugged. "I'll let you meet him."

The man nodded his head. "Not until I met the shrimp…" He shrugged, looking down at her. "Gotta make sure he's good enough for you first. Cam and Javi need to make their judgments too."

"He's 10 and has really pretty golden brown eyes." Monica smiled and nodded. "Javi already met him. Grayson and Cali always come over and we hangout with Aleksandr and play in the garden and take pictures."

Happy nodded his head slowly. "Well shrimp, Camryn needs to meet him and if she doesn't want to be his friend then he's just no good." He smirked at her. "We'll just have to see huh?"

"But he's my boo… Cali is my baby though." She shrugged. "I looked it up on Google, I can have a boyfriend and a girlfriend at once."

Happy shook his head. "Oh no… I need to meet both of them now. You're just giggling like I'm playing. Gotta make sure you are happy and good and they're good enough."

"They're coming over this weekend. You can meet them then." Monica nodded. "You're gonna like Gray, he reminds me of you. All mean and intimidating unless he's around the people he cares around then he can be a softy."

Hap shrugged. "I'm not mean or intimidating. I'm Happy." He smirked.

"Before the first time we met, mom told me that you were a little mean and intimidating looking." She shrugged. "She was wrong, you were a giant fluffy marshmallow."

The man shrugged, picking the little girl up. "Come on, the marshmallow is hungry… Let's see what the big blondie has going for dinner." He settled her on his side and moved up the stairs.

"Just so you know, you were my favorite best friend out of the whole lot." She patted his cheek and smiled. "Well, I'm gonna have Italian for dinner. Nik and mom have been cooking like crazy. I think one of them is depressed."

Happy sighed. "I better still be." He poked her stomach, scrunching up his face. "Don't ask questions, ok? Just let them do what they want." He walked into the kitchen to see Jacey and Camryn sitting at the island flipping through magazines. "What's for dinner? I thought it'd be done by now."

"We're going over to Bri's for dinner. She made Italian and I really want some of the red velvet cookies she made." Jacey smiled at the man. "You have to go, just to try the cookies."

Happy set Monica on the countertop beside his girlfriend and shrugged, quickly moving toward the little blonde beside her. "That's fine but what are you doing, blondie? You can't hug on me anymore? Did you trade me in?" He grinned at her, picking her up.

"No, I didn't trade you in." Camryn shook her head and smiled. "I'm keepin' you!"

Happy nodded, hugging her tightly to his chest. "Well duh… that's your only option really." He smirked at her as he stood her up on the countertop. "Does Bri know we're coming over there?"

"Yeah, I called her." Jacey nodded. "She said the more the merrier."

Happy nodded his head. "Well ok then… Are we ready to go over there? I'm starving. Right, Monica? We had a good workout and shit."

"Yes! We're starving and need the pasta and whatever else they made!" Monica clapped her hands. "To the Fortress. Jacey and I are gonna take pictures together after dinner to add to my picture wall."

Camryn reached out for her father, eyeing Monica carefully before laying her head down on his shoulder. "What's pasta?"

"It's food, like noodles. It's really good, I promise." Monica smiled at the little blonde. "I'll even help you eat it."

The little blonde shook her head. "You don't like sitting by me… You always sit by my Aunt B and my boyfriend Javi!"

"That's my usual seat. I'll sit by you tonight. I promise." The brunette smiled.

Camryn started to smile. "Pinky promise?" She held up her little pinky finger to Monica and nodded her head. "I'll be your bestest friend!"

Monica linked her pinky with Cam's and nodded. "I pinky promise."

"Mommy!" Camryn shouted, grinning. "Look, Moni's gonna be my best friend! You were right, she doesn't hate me!"

"Whoa!" The brunette frowned and shook her head. "Why did you think I hated you?"

Camryn shook her head, burying her face in her father's neck. "I didn't say anything!" She mumbled.

"She's not going to tell you either, she'll keep it to herself." Jacey whispered to Monica, shrugging. "She's a little gatekeeper."

Monica nodded. "Yeah." She pulled the elastic from her hair and ran her fingers through it before braiding her hair off to the side. "I'm ready to go eat dinner."

"I think it's because the whole suits thing, plus Happy then there's your mom who she adores." Jacey shrugged again. "Don't think into it, babe." She wrapped her arm around Happy's waist, walking at his side next door.

"Got it." The brunette nodded as she entered the gate code before stepping back and watching it open slowly. "Won't even give it a second thought."

Happy flicked the brunette's head. "What'd I tell you about her? Loves _her_ Monica." He shrugged his shoulders. "She'll fight tooth and nail over who's you are… and you are hers." He walked behind her as they entered the house and moved toward the kitchen, seeing Bri and Nik standing at the stove together. "Brianna! Come get your child that you swear you had a part in making…"

"No, no. When I'm in the kitchen my name is Katarzyna, because Brianna's Kitchen isn't as catchy as Katarzyna's Kitchen." Bri smiled at the man before reaching for Camryn. "I did make her! All of this cuteness, that's all from me."

Happy shook his head. "B-r-i-a-n-n-a… that's as good as you'll get." He groaned. "Yeah fuckin' right… How many times do I have to tell you that I put in the work for her?" He looked back at Jacey as she rubbed her face a few times before he pulled her to him. "Tell her!"

"Bri, Happy put in the work… All twenty- two minutes." Jacey smiled at her friend. "I just carried around the masterpiece."

Happy shrugged. "Whatever… Shit took time and dedication." His dark eyes flicking to Nik. "I'm glad you talk so much…"

"I stay out of the whole kid creation talks." Nik turned around fully and smiled. "Can't have kids, so I don't even bother with any of the nonsense."

Bri dragged a hand down her sister's face and smiled. "Ignore her… We're all up in here dealing with family issues but that's a story for another day. We are gonna focus on eating this amazing dinner NiNi and I have whipped up. Even managed to make breadsticks from scratch." She grinned. "You guys ready for dinner… Cam, Anthony is gonna be joining us. I know how much you fancy him. Igor will be around too."

"She's more worried about Javi… her _boyfriend_." Jacey smirked, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh yeah… it's happening, babe." She kissed Bri's head. "Is everything ok?" She whispered to her best friend.

"Oh, your boyfriend is in the media room with his daddy if you wanna go get him for dinner Cam." Bri smiled at her niece. "Yeah, just some of the usual Russian nonsense, nothing we can't get through."

Jacey nodded. "You know I'm right there if you need me..." She kissed Bri's head again. "I love you."

"Aunt B... Will you put me down? I need to go see my boyfriend!" Cam smiled, both her hands on Bri's gorgeous face as she smiled wide enough to flash her dimples.

Bri nodded as she set Camryn down. "Go see your boyfriend. I'll be around Miss Thing." The brunette smiled and looked at Jacey. "I know, I love you too. I'll fill you in when I get more details about everything. Let's move this to the dining room. Hap, do you want anything to drink? We just got this good tequila in. Nik and Anthony swear by it."

"Nah, I'm good with a beer..." Happy shook his head. "Once my youngest realizes that I'm still the best thing since sliced bread, she's finally gonna get a taste of it." He grinned as he wrapped his arm around Bri's shoulders. "Why don't you take a trip down tequila lane though? Might be good for you, priss."

"The last time she took a trip down tequila lane, she, Esai, Frey and myself ended up in Mexico." Nik smirked. "That was the best weekend _ever_."

Jacey flicked Nik's head before pulling her to her. "I want to talk to you later if that's ok?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, that's totally fine with me." She smiled.

"Great, I'll find you after dinner or when Hap is officially drunk." She nodded, pulling away from Nik. "By the way, you look great."

Nik nodded and smiled. "Thank you. I caved and let Bri dress me today… You're looking cute and pregnant though. I'd kill to have that glow."

"What glow?" Jacey shook her head. "I didn't know I had it..." She smiled, looking down at her protruding belly and shrugged. "If it's a girl, she's all yours. Free of charge."

"Looks good. No thank you, if anything I would want a little boy. I'm obsessed with Javier." Nik shrugged. "Just don't jinx yourself with a girl thing. There's no way you're carrying a girl anyway, you're all round and stuff. It's a boy."

Jacey shrugged. "A girl wouldn't be so bad if she didn't latch onto Satan over there that just spoils the hell out of his girls." She smiled, nodding. "Hap keeps trying to say it's twins because I'm bigger than I was with Cam."

"It's not twins. You're having a boy." The blonde smiled. "Probably carrying around a baby giant right now Jacey."

The pregnant blonde furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Nik! Oh my god, don't jinx me... Or my body like that!" She smirked. "Oh god, I forgot who's child I'm pregnant with... This baby will be huge."

"By the looks of it, he's already breaking records!" Nik chuckled. "Hey, at least you know it's gonna be a cute ass baby!"

Jacey laughed, shaking her head. "Ok I'm done with you... You're trying to jinx my ass. Like I need another Happy running around." She kissed Nik's head. "Expect divorce papers in the mail." She laughed.

"I'm not. I'm just stating facts." Nik chuckled as they walked into the dining room. "I guess Bri is gonna take that tequila trip."

Jacey sighed. "I wish she'd talk to me... What's going on with her?" She absentmindedly started to rub her belly, watching Bri.

"She had a doctor's appointment… Waiting for the results to come back now." The blonde nodded. "You know how she gets when she has to wait for shit."

The blonde nodded, reaching out to squeeze Nik's hand before moving toward Bri. "Babe, don't do this... Family's here, let's enjoy this."

Bri set the tequila on the table and nodded. "Alright, I'm putting it away." She smiled at Jacey. "Tequila isn't really my thing anyway."

"You know I'll lock your ass in my bedroom again until you stop thinking the bottom of a bottle is going to make your problems disappear." She wrapped her arms around her best friend-her sister. "It's not where you're needed anyway. Monica and Javi need their mom, babe... So whatever is happening has to be dealt with in a way that doesn't possibly get you arrested."

"I'm not gonna get arrested." The brunette shook her head. "I know that drinking won't solve shit… I just need to be numb for a little while."

Jacey shook her head. "What'd you find out from the doctor?"

"I can't have anymore babies." Bri shrugged. "Just waiting for more results to make sure it's for sure, for sure…"

The blonde slowly nodded her head, wrapping her arms around her best friend before pulling back, her blue eyes falling to her belly. "I'm sorry, B, I'm really fucking sorry..."

Bri nodded. "It's alright. It's life…" She offered up a smile before rubbing Jacey's belly. "What's in there? A set of triplets or what Jacey?"

"I'm not sure... You've gotta go to the doctor's appointment with me if you're still doing the party... Which you don't have to, Bri, we can do things the old-fashioned way, babe..." She kissed Bri's forehead. "Nik says I'm just having one boy... But I'm pretty sure there's about four babies in here right now." She laughed.

The brunette scrunched up her face and pressed on her best friend's belly and nodded. "It's a single baby in there." She smirked. "I'll go with you. I wouldn't miss it for the world Jacey. Don't even stress it. This is a happy time! You're having another baby I get to take credit for."

"How the hell do you know?" She shook her head. "If it's a boy, Hap ain't gonna let take credit for this one..." She laughed. "I know it's a happy time for me but you're my sister, you were the one trying to get this. This was a slip up... Baby Weighs A Ton was an uh-oh. It's just not fair in my eyes."

"I'm a Russian Witch Doctor." The brunette chuckled. "It's gonna be a boy. I'm excited for a nephew even if I don't get to take any credit for him… Jacey, relax. It's alright. It's a happy time for me too, you're my sister and you're expanding the family. Gonna have another little person to try to put a fur coat on."

"You're not buying anymore fur for my damn kids! It's enough that Cam won't sleep without her fur blanket." Happy shook his head, walking up to the women.

"That's my girl. I love her for that." Bri smiled and poked Happy's chest. "Gonna get your son a fur blanket too… It'll appear when you're not looking."

Jacey smirked, nodding. "Cam loves the fur... Maybe just maybe she loves it more than Javi." She shrugged. "That's all she talks about. _Her_ Javi."

"Javi is like, 'Cam is my girl'." Bri chuckled and shook her head. "Those two are ridiculous, if they don't end up together and in love, I'll die."

The blonde nodded, smiling. "I need them together forever and happy and in love. If they don't, I'm going to cry so much."

"Yes! Let's start planning their wedding and shit." The brunette smirked. "It'll be amazing. Huh Hap?"

The man looked back from rubbing Jacey's belly and shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Cam and Javi's wedding." Bri smiled. "It's gonna be amazing. We'll go halves on it."

Happy shook his head again. "They ain't getting married..."

"Oh. My. God." Bri shook her head. "We'll see about that…"

The man shrugged. "She goes through this phase just about every week... She'll be over him tomorrow."

"That sounds familiar." The brunette shrugged. "I was the same way up until a few months ago." She laughed and shook her head.

Jacey shrugged. "I don't know... I think Hap's wrong... Look at 'em. They're absolutely precious." She pointed to the pair as they walked hand in hand in front of Juice to the dining room table. "One thing will stay the same and that's her claim on him... That's _her_ Javi. No one else's."

"It's pretty damn cute. They give me life." Bri smiled. "She stole my son though… Happy is stealing my daughter half the time! I'm out of kids. I just have my sisters left!"

Jacey smiled. "I've got one on the way you're welcome to... As long as you don't mind the Spanish whispers of my boyfriend." She shrugged.

"I don't mind them. I can understand Spanish and whatnot." She smiled. "I can't wait to have that reveal party though. I'm banking on it being better than Cam's."

Happy shrugged. "Just don't try to send Jacey into early labor again... Inviting all those damn people. Good god."

"I invited the club because that's your guys' other family… So, sue me." Bri shrugged. "It can just be all of us here and then Kozik, Case and Jacey's brother and whoever else she wants there. Just make the guest list and I'll do the inviting."

Jacey shook her head. "Invite anyone you want as long as you skip my damn mother... She's already back on my case about anything. By the way, it's time for you to pop the question according to her." She shook her head again. "But seriously... When do you want to do this? The appointment is in two days."

"Me and your mom don't get along anyway." Bri shrugged and looked at Happy. "Yeah, Happy. It's time for you to pop the question! I keep telling people I have to be a bridesmaid before thirty or it's a no go. I'll be sitting in the chairs with the rest of the guests." She smiled and looked at Jacey. "Um, the weekend after the appointment. What's today?"

Happy rolled his eyes. "Shut up. I do what I want." He shrugged. "Tuesday, genius."

"Don't tell my mom to shut up." Monica narrowed her eyes at the man. "Unless you're trying to fight me right _now_."

Jacey started laughing, pulling Happy behind her. "Don't beat him up, babe... I don't want him all injured and hurt."

"Because I love ya, I won't hurt him." Monica smiled at Jacey and shrugged. "Watch it dad, don't tell my mom to shut up."

Happy stuck his tongue out at her. "I do what I want... Shrimp." He smirked as he moved around his girlfriend and picked the brunette up.

She shook her head and tapped on his temples. "I'm not a Shrimp. I'm a Short Stack, or Shorty. Shrimps look funny!"

"Pretty fitting for you then huh?" Happy grinned at his daughter.

"No way!" She shook her head and grinned back at him. "I am gorgeous. I mean, look at me."

Jacey hit Happy's arm. "Shut up... She doesn't look funny, she's beautiful... You look funny."

"Guys, I'm just gonna say, if you aren't gonna eat, I'm just gonna devour this meal by myself." Nik tapped on the table as she bit into a breadstick. "It's your loss."

Camryn stood up in her chair and poked at Nik's cheek. "I wanted that piece Niki!"

" _Niki_? I'm gonna let that slide because you're a gorgeous little friend of mine." Nik shrugged. "You can have this other stick, see it's got more garlic on it and everythin'. Do you dip yours in marinara or just eat it straight up?"

Camryn shook her head. "Let what slide?" She crawled into the blonde's lap and poked her cheeks. "What's manama?"

"That you called me Niki. It's a cute name though." The blonde grabbed a small container and held it in front of Cam's face. "This is the manama sauce! It tastes good to me but you may think it's funny tasting. You wanna try some?"

The little blonde smiled at Nik and shrugged. "You're pretty!" She ran her small fingers over Nik's eyebrows. "What's it taste like?"

"Well, thank you." Nik smiled at Cam. "You're a pretty little thing yourself. It tastes like pizza sauce."

Camryn stood on Nik's lap. "Mommy! Have you seen Nik?! She's my new best friend!" She nodded eagerly, sitting back down. "I like pizza!"

"Then you should love this." Nik dipped a piece of a breadstick into the sauce and passed it to Cam. "I can't believe I'm best friends with a little blonde. My life is _complete_." She looked at everyone and nodded. "Maybe I'll even start using my real accent again. Now that I'm accepted by this cute little person."

Camryn took a bite of the breadstick and smiled, quickly chewing it up and nodded her head. "That's really good!" She whispered, smiling again before she started to look around the table to now see Anthony sitting down across from her. "ANFY!"

"Hey Killa Cam!" Anthony smiled at her. "I see you're trying to steal the big blondie from me!"

Camryn furrowed her brow. "She's my best friend... Not yours. You can't have her!"

"Oh! Well, then keep her!" He shrugged. "I'm gonna make have to find me a new best blonde friend." He smiled at her. "Take good care of her!"

The little girl shook her head. "I'm blonde! ANFY!" She looked back at Nik and sighed. "He's silly..."

NIk nodded. "But he's hella handsome so it's okay that he's silly."

"What's hella handsome mean?" She looked between Anthony and Nik before covering her mouth. "Is he your boyfriend?! He can't be!"

"I dunno what you're going on about kid." Nik shrugged. "It means he's super cute!"

Camryn slid out of Nik's lap and shook her head. "I'm telling Daddy on you!"

"Why!?" The blonde furrowed her brow. "Why would you wanna tattle on me!? I thought we were best friends Camryn!"

The little blonde poked her bottom lip out and crossed her arms over her chest. "You took my friend from me! How could you?!" She jabbed at Nik's stomach. "He was my friend first, _NIKOLA!_ "

"I'm not taking him from you. He's your best friend, not mine!" Nikola imitated the tiny blonde's actions. "He's still your friend!"

Happy scooped up the little girl, whispering to her. "Apologize to your best friend. You can both be friends with him, Camryn."

"I was under the impression that I was Camryn's best friend." Monica shook her head. "I'm kinda hurt right now."

"Pretty sure I'm the best friend." Igor sat down at the head of the table and smiled. "What'd I miss?"

Camryn shot forward, reaching out for Igor. "Iggy! Iggy! Iggy!" She grinned at him. "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here. I was in the backyard swimming." He accepted her into his arms and smiled. "I can't believe you're here! How ya been princess?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "I came here because of Moni then I saw B then I met the pretty blonde then Anfy tried to take her from me then she tried to take Anfy from me and Daddy said I have to apologize." She shook her head and sighed. "I've been better, Iggy! How have you been?"

"This is the first time you're meeting Nik? She tried to take Anfy and he tried to take her? Oh my God! That is some drama right there." Igor nodded. "I was sad earlier but now I'm happy since you're here! I can go to bed and have the best sleep ever because I saw my little princess Camryn today! I had a nightmare the other night, I had to have Javi rock me back to sleep. Can you believe that? He just lifted me right up and rocked me like a baby."

Camryn gasped and smiled. "Nuh uh! My Javi did that? He's so sweet!" She nodded her head as she leaned against him. "How come you don't spend the night at my house anymore? Mommy and daddy said you could move in! You're their favorite too!"

"Yup! He made sure I had good dreams and sleep." He nodded and smiled. "I can move in? Well, I'll just follow you right on home. I'll be your live in suit!"

The little blonde grinned up at the man and nodded her head. "He's my boyfriend! Did you know that?" She shrugged. "I'm ok with that, I've missed you!"

"Boyfriend?" Igor smiled. "Well congratulations on the relationship. The two of you make a gorgeous couple."

Camryn nodded her head eagerly. "You think so?"

"I know so." He nodded. "It's a good match. I think he's a good boyfriend."

Jacey walked up to the pair and pulled her up into her arms. "As much as you missed him, you're gonna miss dinner more if you don't sit down with your daddy and eat, babe." She gave Igor a smile. "Thanks for entertaining her… She's missed you."

Igor nodded. "No problem." He shrugged, turning his attention onto Nik who was loading his plate with food. "That's enough Nikola. I don't eat that much, I'm not Aleksandr."

Nik shrugged. "So, what you don't eat I'll finish off for you." She smiled.

Bri rolled her eyes. "Nik is greedy. She's trying to engage in some weird tactics." She shook her head, smiling at her family. "This is nice guys, we need to do this more often. Get together as a family."

 **December 13, 2011**

"Babe." Bri jumped on Juice, tackling him to the ground as soon as he walked into their bedroom. It had been a while since she had seen him last. "I missed you ugly."

Juice chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the brunette and kissed her forehead. "I missed you too babe." He rubbed her bare back and smirked. "Were you getting undressed? Dressed? Getting ready to just be topless as you go to sleep?"

She shrugged as she looked down at him. "I was in bed when I heard to the alarm beep and then go off. I knew it had to be my baby. I missed you, you need to stop leaving me for more than a few hours. I kid you not, I'm going insane and I don't wanna keep leaving Javi with a fucking nanny when I'm at work."

"Then stop working." He grumbled as he moved off the floor, the brunette still wrapped around him as he moved towards the bed. "Don't mean to sound like a dick or anything but you know how it is. Some runs I just need to go on. We're getting so much shit from the new sheriff in town. Roosevelt. He's trying to push us out of Charming."

Bri nodded as she untangled her limbs from her boyfriend and crawled into the bed. "Yeah, I get it Juice." She burrowed under the blankets and sighed. "I hope whatever is happening is settled soon because I wanna iron out the wedding details."

Juice nodded as he looked at the brunette, his heart dropping momentarily as he watched her expressions change quickly. "It should be handled soon… He's just going through the guys, trying to get us to flip on each other." He ran a hand over his chest and sighed. "I'll figure something out alright? I'll step away from the club for a bit, we can get out of town after this whole little party you're planning. Alright Bri?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good." Bri patted the bed. "Let's cuddle. You can take a shower in the morning or after I fall asleep. I just wanna be next to you right now babe." She grinned as he rolled onto the bed and draped a leg over her hip and pulled her closer to him. "I love you babe."

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead and settled into the familiar embrace that was Bri. "I promise, I'll be doing better." Juice reached behind him and turned off the light. "Goodnight, sweet dreams. I'll see you when we wake up."

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 **I'm updating this story in hopes it'll obtain more views and follows but you know, I'm really not going to waste my time if this chapter tanks . I'll just delete this story and move on to something better.  
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	7. Abandonment

**December 15, 2011**

"Elijah!" Monica moved towards the large man as he entered the house, not even allowing him to remove his coat before she jumped up, smiling widely as he caught her with ease. "I missed you Elijah! Where have you been!?"

Elijah smiled at the little girl, feeling himself relax as he hugged her tightly. "I was finishing up some business so I could spend a lot of time with my favorite person in this world." He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he moved out of the foyer and towards the living room. "How have you been my dear?"

The brunette shrugged as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "I've been alright! I just missed you a lot Elijah. I hope you don't have to leave me anytime soon. Like at least a whole month or so." She nodded and rested her hands on his cheeks. "I'm so tired of you leaving me. It doesn't ever feel good."

He nodded as his brows furrowed, feeling a slight wave of guilt wash over him as he took in the sorrow in the little girl's expressive green eyes. "I won't leave you anymore Monica, you have my word. I don't need to ever go back to Russia unless my dad needs me." He ran his thumbs over her cheeks and smiled. "I'm going to be here for you Monica. Whenever you need me, no matter what time of day."

She nodded slowly and smiled. "You promise me? I just want people to stop leaving me." Monica sighed as she rested her head against the man's shoulder and sniffled. "It just sucks when everyone wants to leave me."

"No one ever wants to leave you." Elijah sighed as he rubbed the little girl's back. "I won't leave you again. I don't know about anyone else but they'll have to tear me away from you if they need me to go on a trip. I do have a surprise for you, when you're up to leaving. I have something to show you."

"What do you wanna show me huh?" Monica pulled back and wiped her eyes on her shirt before staring at the man. "Did you get a new suit?"

He chuckled and nodded. "I did get a few new suits but that's not what I wanna show you at all Menchie. I want to show you something better than a suit, something that we can enjoy together. You'll love it I know it."

"You're always getting new suits." She laughed and shook her head. "I can't wait to see it… I really hope you don't leave me again. I'm tired of always being abandoned."

Elijah frowned. "It won't happen again." He rubbed her back and sighed once more as he felt her arms wrap around his neck tightly. "I promise Monica… As soon as you're ready we'll head out to the surprise I have for you."

"What're you doing?" Bri moved into the room and smiled at the pair. "You guys want anything?"

He shook his head. "Monica, let me talk to your mom really quickly. I need her opinion on the surprise I have for you." He lifted the nine year old off his lap and set her on the sofa before draping his coat over her. "I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead before moving towards Bri, resting his hand on her lower back as he guided her towards the kitchen. "We gotta talk."

Bri nodded as she watched Elijah shut the kitchen off. "What's up?"

"It's about Monica… She said something that really hurt my soul. Said she's 'tired of always being abandoned'." He rubbed a hand over his forehead and sighed. "You don't know how bad I feel hearing her say that. She's nine!"

The brunette nodded slowly. "She never really got over you leaving, never got over Happy leaving for two years either. You came home but you did the back and forth with the business trips and such. She's nine but she's got some abandonment issues. I try my best to be around for her all the time and only work when she's at school." She trailed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "She's nine, she doesn't fully grasp the whole business trip thing. She's smart as fuck but she's a kid. Sometimes he just wants her Elijah around all the time or her Happy. She's afraid that you two are gonna up and leave again. She doesn't even wanna get close to Anthony, she told him he's just going to leave her like you and Happy, so she doesn't want to be his friend."

Elijah groaned, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands as he processed the information slowly. "I'm never leaving her again Brianna. I can't do that to her anymore. I'm going to tell Aleksandr that I have to stay local. I can't leave her anymore. She's breaking my heart here Brianna. I'm breaking her heart here."

Bri nodded as she pulled the man into a tight hug, feeling closer to him than ever as she felt him give in to his emotions and allow them to actually take up residence inside of him. "I know Elijah… I know she's dealing with a lot, I'm the one who has to hold it all together for her. That's my daughter, I lay with her when she's going through her emotions, I lay with her when she doesn't wanna do more than watch cartoons. She's nine but she's been through enough the last two years to last a lifetime. I hope that you don't leave her again. I hope Happy doesn't leave her again. I want her to heal and move past this. I know she's always going to feel scared when someone leaves but I can't do anything about it but reassure her that it's never a permanent situation but it's temporary. I know what she's going through and it's the worst shit _ever_ "

"I'm making a promise right now, I won't leave her again unless I absolutely have to." Elijah hugged the brunette tightly. "I was wondering if it were ok if I took her to my new place, show her the room I want to give her."

"You know that's fine with me Elijah." Bri smiled as she pulled away from him. "She's doing better this week. Hasn't gotten into trouble at school. She also has the next two weeks off, I want to do something for Christmas, maybe a little trip. You can invite Kaia."

"That sounds good. I'm glad she hasn't gotten into trouble this week. Although I'm starting to realize that she's getting in trouble solely for the fact that myself or Happy will show up and talk to her." He nodded. "That sounds lovely just let me know the plans. I'll see you later. I'm gonna go nap with Monica until she's ready to leave to go see the surprise."

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"Who's house is this?" Monica looked up at the large modern style house before looking back at Elijah. "Did you buy me my own house?"

Elijah chuckled and shook his head. "No, this is my house." He parked the car and looked toward the brunette. "I bought it awhile ago but I'm just now moving into it." He got out of the car and swiftly around it and opened the door for Monica. "I have a surprise in it for you."

"Yeah?" She grabbed his hand and smiled. "What's the surprise huh? You got me a new tutu and dance shoes? I'm not in ballet anymore though, I couldn't stay focused at all. I miss it but I like gymnastics better." She nodded as they walked into the large house. "Mom told me as I get older my adhd will get better but I dunno about that."

He nodded as he they started slowly up the stairs. "It'll get better but if it doesn't, then you can always start medicine. The medicine will kinda slow you down and make you tired, I don't recommend it if you can just master your energy I think you should be fine."

Monica nodded as she looked at a bedroom door Elijah came to a halt in front of. "What's behind there?"

Elijah shrugged as he dropped her tiny hand and opened the door. "Go in and see for yourself."

The brunette walked into the room, her green eyes scanning the space before settling on a large white four poster bed with a twinkling canopy over it. "Oh. My. God! Is this my room here 'Lijah!?" She looked back at him and smiled before taking in the details of the room. The ballet pink vanity, her name on the wall above a long chest of drawers. "It's gorgeous!" She turned around and threw herself into his legs. "It's perfect! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She hugged him, a smile never leaving her face. "I love you!"

He smiled as he lifted her off her feet and settled her on his hip. "I'm glad you love it. I figured it'd feel more like home if you had a room of your own here. For when you have days when you don't want to be at your mom's or dad's. You can come here and just relax in your own space." He kissed her forehead and grinned. "I love you too Monica. Now, if you wanna add anything to it we can make that happen."

 **December 19, 2011**

Juice rubbed his lower back as he climbed off his Dyna, his backpack hanging heavy on his shoulders. He had spent the last couple of days in lockup after Roosevelt decided to flex his muscles but before that, he had gone on a long trip. Letting his bike take him wherever it saw fit as he tried his hardest to clear his mind. He was once again in a terrible place and he wasn't even sure how to deal with the pressure from Roosevelt and he knew he couldn't drag Bri into this because it was club business and he wanted to keep her out of it.

"Daddy!" Javi smiled and toddled to his dad as soon as he saw him walk into the house. "Hi daddy!"

The man smiled as he bent and scooped up his son. "Hi Javi! I missed you and your face." He kissed his son's head as he walked further into the house, spotting Bri standing in the middle of the family room in front of a large Christmas tree, one that hadn't been there when he had left. "Hey babe."

Bri looked towards the archway and smiled at the man. "Hey love." She set the tinsel down and moved towards the pair. "I'm glad that you're home. Look at this tree, isn't it gorgeous as all hell." She grinned as he pulled her into a hug and kissed her neck. "How was the ride home?"

"It was good." He nodded as he tossed his backpack to the sofa. "It's taken a toll on my back but I'm good."

She smiled as she watched him and Javier smile at each other. "You guys are gonna both lose if you're trying to out smile each other."

"Man, I missed trimming the tree." He set Javier on the floor and pulled Bri closer to him by her hips. "I'm sorry babe." He kissed her lips and sighed. "Should have been here for this and for Jacey and Happy's party."

Bri nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and shrugged. "It's alright. You were dealing with your emotions. I just wish you would've let me go through them with you. Communication is key for a successful relationship and you aren't letting me into that head of yours anymore babe. We were doing so damn well the last two years, what happened?"

He shrugged as he dropped onto the sofa and pulled her down onto his lap. "I don't know. I just don't know. I'm just trying to keep shit together. I have that sheriff digging into my past and he seems to have taken an interest in me and only me. Every time I'm in Charming he wants to make it a game of how much he can harass me."

"You want me to kill him?" Bri smiled and nodded. "Because just say the word and the suits will have him handled. You need me to call my lawyer, get the asshole to stop messing with you babe?"

He shook his head. "No. I want to handle it myself. If it gets too bad, I'll talk to you about it. I'll talk to the guys about it." He squeezed her thighs and smiled. "So, what do you wanna do tonight? Pizza and cuddles?"

"Daddy!" Javier climbed up onto the sofa and tapped on his dad's head and smiled. "You wanna play dinos with me? I got a new one, it's a tri-. Mama what's it called huh?"

"Triceratops." She smiled at the little boy. "He loves his dinosaurs. He cleaned the shelves at Walmart. He needed all of the dinos so I got them for him. Huh Javi baby?"

He nodded. "Yeah! All of 'em dad!" He held up his T-Rex and smiled. "This one is my favorite. T-Rex! I love him."

"Yeah man, I'll play dinos with you." Juice moved off the sofa and grabbed his son's hand. "You been behaving for your mom?"

"Yes!" Javier nodded as they started up the steps. "Hi Mons!"

"Hey Javi." Monica smiled at her little brother. "Hey Juice."

"Hey Fancy Face." Juice hugged the little blonde and smiled. "I missed you."

"Missed you too." She nodded. "Mom's downstairs? I need to talk to her about my Christmas list. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, she's putting the finishing touches on the tree." Juice smiled at her and watched her skip down the stairs before letting his son lead him into his room. "Wow, you really do have a whole lot of dinos kid."

"They're my favorite things! I even got one!" Javier pointed to his bearded dragon sitting on his desk. "Mama got him for me! Cam doesn't like him, she's ascared of him!"

"He looks cool, what's his name?" Juice looked at the tiny lizard in the tank and smiled. "She's scared? He won't bite her, I don't think. You've been nice to Camryn right?"

"His name is Dragon." Javier moved to the desk and looked at the lizard. "I'm nice to her, she's my babe! We got _engaged_. I gave her a ring and crayons."

"Oh, I missed my own son's engagement. Did you ask Happy?" Juice turned around and looked down at his son and smiled.

"Yeah! I asked Uncle Hap! He told me that I could ask her as long as I keep being nice to her but if I'm mean she's not my babe anymore." He shrugged as he grabbed his dad's hand and tugged him towards his toy box. "Pick any dino and let's play dad!"

He nodded and smiled as he sat down on the carpet and sorted through the dinosaurs before settling on a triceratops. "Alright, I'm ready kid. Let's play."

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"I don't think I've felt more tired." Juice tightened the towel around his hips before faceplanting onto his bed and looking up at Bri. "How do you do it? I don't think he stopped once to take a breath. It was nonstop dinos, Dragon and running through the backyard."

Bri laughed and shook her head. "He's not usually like that with me to be honest. He was just super excited that you were home for once. He misses you Juice. He always asks about his daddy coming home and you know it sucks for me not to be able to tell him when exactly you're gonna decide to turn up."

He nodded as he moved on top of the brunette, resting his head on her stomach as he sighed. "I'll be around the next few days. I don't have anything club related and I don't need to get anything settled on my mind, that last trip helped me for the time being. I'm just trying to be the best I can be right now. I just hope the sheriff lays the fuck off of me."

"I hope he does too." The brunette nodded her head slowly as she toyed with the rings on her fingers. "I don't want us to fail, we've worked so hard but I'm so over the distance and the lack of communication. I'm not sure how much more I can take. So I hope you keep that in the back of your mind the next time you take off on me and Javi. I don't expect you to be here for me but I do expect you to be here for your son. If this is too much for you, just let me know. Alright?"

Juice nodded. "Yeah, I will let you know. I'm trying to keep it together for the three of you. I don't want us to fail either but something isn't clicking in my head and I keep trying to figure out what it is. I just want it all to be calm, before I met the sheriff. I want it to rewind to a few months ago when we were planning a wedding and laughing as we sat by the pool and watched Monica and Javi splash around. I'm trying to work back to that state of mind."

Bri nodded and sighed. "Well we will just have to keep faith that we can get back to that but if we can't, I'm not sure we're even gonna have to bring up the whole wedding situation anymore. Just stop leaving, next time I won't be so welcoming home. Remember that _Juan Carlos_."

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 **AN: To the guest review who says that this story seems forced. It's not forced, I enjoy writing this story. I wasn't going to publish it because no one really read Fated but after so many of the readers expressed a want for a sequel, I decided to publish it and half of the people who wanted the sequel aren't even reading it. I have to know if people want the story so I don't waste my time. It's like a singer having a concert, if a singer doesn't sell enough tickets, then the show won't happen. Reviews are what let me know if the story should go on or not.  
**


	8. Family Time

**thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter. i hope you enjoy this update and if you do, just leave a review. :)**

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 **December 21, 2011**

"I'm so over this right now." Brianna looked at the Christmas tree and shook her head, trying to figure out why the tree was leaning towards the left and not as straight at it had been before she had left to pick Monica up from gymnastics. "Juice and Javi probably knocked the damn thing over. I don't think Monster would mess with the tree, that damn dog is scared of this thing."

Monica shrugged as she looked up at the tree. "They probably did do it and that's why they're not here! They probably left and are gonna try to deny being here." She smiled at her mom. "They're gonna be little sneaks."

"I'm over it. I don't even know why I thought that a tree was a good idea with those two." She looked down at the presents under the tree and sighed. "At least the presents were spared from the nonsense. You wanna go get our nails done or something babe?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, I wanna get my nails done. I want them short, white and maybe some glitter on my ring fingers."

Bri nodded as she picked her purse and keys back up. "Let's go. We can grab something to eat afterwards. Chipotle may be good unless you want a burger. You can just pick which place you wanna eat at while we're getting our nails done. You wanna do anything else Mon? I was thinking of trying out eyebrow waxing, letting the pros have a shot at these gorgeous ass brows that I have."

"I don't think that you should let them touch your brows mom." Monica grabbed her mom's hand as they walked towards the front of the house. "I wanna get my hair done, I want some of those cool color extensions in my hair. I want some purple and teal."

"Alright, I can do that for you because you've been behaving lately. Which I'm proud of babe." Bri unlocked the car and smiled. "You can ride in the front seat my dear, you don't have to always get into the back."

The tiny brunette nodded and got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. "I want a car like this when I'm old enough to drive." She watched as her mom got into the driver's seat. "What was your first car?"

"My first car was a white Audi." Bri shrugged. "We've been an Audi family for awhile now. I'm thinking maybe you can possibly break that mold, drive a cute Benz or maybe drive a BMW. Who knows, you're bound to find a car that screams Monica and fits your personality."

"I think I want a red Audi." Monica nodded and smiled. "Maybe ballet pink because that's my favorite color. You gotta see my room at Elijah's house! It's so pretty mama! I got a twinkling light canopy above my bed and my name is on the wall. It's pretty perfect."

"You like having your own room at Elijah's? Is it making things easier for you? To be able to go over there and spend time with him." She glanced over at her daughter as she pulled out of the driveway.

"I love it. I got so many cool rooms to pick from but I like this room, then Elijah's, then the one at Jacey and Happy's house." Monica fiddled with the radio as she looked at her mom. "How many rooms did you have growing up?"

"Not as many as you." Bri chuckled and shook her head. "You gonna tell me why you just called Happy by his name and not dad? What's going on there?"

"Maybe if I don't call him dad, it'll hurt less if he ever leaves me again." Monica shrugged. "Can we talk about something else. Can I get a new nameplate necklace? I want one that says 'Hohrykova'."

The brunette frowned as she felt her eyes start to well up. "I know what you're going through Monica… You know why Aleksandr is my dad because my real dad just left me so many times, so I just always referred to Aleksandr as my dad because I was over being left behind by my real dad. You know it'll all get easier over time. I mean, I have moments where I kinda panic when Juice leaves or when Aleksandr is gone out of town but it does get easier babe." She reached over and rubbed Monica's cheeks. "Happy is back, I don't think he'll leave again… Of course you can get a nameplate babe. I think a gold one will look good against your skin."

"Why do you have so many tattoos?" Monica touched the moth on her mom's elbow and wrinkled her nose up. "The moth is cool though."

"Because I went through a lot in life and I kinda like documenting things with the tattoos. I got the moth when I moved back to California after you were born. I know most people think moths are gross but I think they're gorgeous in their own unique way. On your first birthday, I got this rose with a diamond in the center. You know you used to hang out with me and Jacey when you used to visit me. I have to find the pictures of all of us. Jacey absolutely loved playing with your hair and dressing you up like a mini ballerina."

"I didn't know that." Monica smiled and touched the tattoo on her mom's forearm and smiled. "I wanna see all the pictures! I didn't know she knew me when I was a baby."

Bri smiled. "I'll find them when we get back home. You can hang them up."

"I will." She nodded. "You really think Happy isn't gonna leave again? What if he decides he misses Tacoma and wants to move back there? Huh?"

"I don't think he'll leave. I think they're happy here now." Bri pulled into a spot in front of the nail salon and put the car in park. "Babe, I'm gonna tell you this, if you're worried about this, you need to talk to him about it. Just like you did with Elijah. Happy won't know what you're feeling or what you felt if you keep it all bottled inside. Alright?"

Monica gave a single nod before getting out of the car after her mom. "I will talk to him then. I promise I will tell him."

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"You look like you're in heaven." Aleksandr smiled down at Bri who was laying on a bean bag chair, Monica asleep on top of her. "Long day with her?"

Bri shook her head. "An amazing evening with her. Got our nails done, her hair done, did some shopping, then had dinner and came home and we were cuddling and she just knocked right out. She did hurt my heart though. She keeps calling Happy by his first name. She seems to be worried that he's gonna move back to Tacoma and leave her behind again."

"Reminding me of you when you were her age. You didn't want me leaving. You'd always pitch a fit and cry then when I got back you wouldn't even give me the time of day." He bent down and effortlessly picked up Monica and rested her against his chest. "She'll work through this mess. How are you though? I finished up as fast as I could after Frey gave me a call, saying you were going through some things."

"Juice nonsense." She looked up at him and shrugged. "I don't know why you didn't just call, you didn't have to come all the way home."

"It's Christmas time, I had to come home and see my family." He smiled down at her. "You want me to carry her up to her room?"

Bri nodded as she stood up slowly and adjusted her sleep shorts. "Yeah, put her in her bed. I gotta make sure Javi isn't still up and wired with his dad. I swear, that boy is so hyper when his dad is home, it's insane. They feed off each other or something."

"It's good that he's home, even if it's only for the holidays. Javier needs his dad in life." Aleksandr moved up the stairs slowly, glancing back once to see Bri. "Even if you don't make it with him, just make sure Juice steps up and starts being there for his kid."

"Damn, dad. I got it." The brunette shook her head, watching the large man disappear into her daughter's room before reappearing quickly. "I try to make sure that he's around a positive male figure. All the suits and Happy too."

"Good my dear." He patted her head and smirked. "Just keep doing all you can. At the end of the day the needs of your children surpass your needs."

"Duh!" She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm well aware of that. I always put them first and make sure they don't really know what's happening in my love life. I want to keep them happy, healthy, and taken care of. Javier and Monica are my life and I always remind them of that."

"I'm glad to hear that." Aleksandr wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders as they paused at her open bedroom door and looked inside, finding Javier and Juice both splayed out across the bed, snoring. "They're like puppies, they've tired themselves out."

"I'm all about it right now, them being tired. I can get some sleep in, maybe even do some paperwork." Bri shrugged as they moved away from her room and slowly back down the stairs. "So, Frey ratted me out? Was it because my almost break down at Jacey's gender reveal party? I was a mess, I had to take a walk, I cried it out and I was alright again."

"Pretty much so." He sat down in the recliner and shrugged his large shoulders. "I think you need to seriously write a pros and cons list. I can't let you emotionally drain yourself over him again. You've done it too many times and if it happens again, I need you to be smart enough to know that the relationship is toxic and one that you don't need to be in. Do you understand me _Katarzyna_?"

"Yeah, I get it. I told him the other night, that if he keeps up this shit, I'm not going to put up with and I will break things off. Engage or not, I need to start putting myself before him." She trailed her fingers through her hair and smiled. "I'm not gonna be dumb this time around…"

"Yeah, uh huh." Aleksandr smirked. "We shall see. You always have a soft spot for that clueless idiot. I just hope it doesn't fuck you over in the long run."

 **December 23, 2011**

"I'm _never_ getting married." Bri twisted her rings on her fingers as she crawled onto her sister's bed and buried her face in the pastel pillows. "Like, I'm being realistic here and I wish it wasn't the case but damn, I am losing faith in the whole Juice and I being fated thing, maybe we're fated, just not fated to be together you know?" She let out a sigh and groaned as she felt her sister rest her head on her lower back.

Nik nodded and sighed. "I think it's good to be realistic, not get your hopes up about anything just in case it doesn't all work out. I hate to think of this shit because you deserve to be married, happy and in love but I'm not thinking that it's going to happen with him. He's too frantic and emotionally unstable. He's cool though, when his mind is right."

"Yeah, I know…" She shook her head and frowned. "I'm so fucked up right now about it all… I can't win with any of my relationships. If it fails with Juice, I'm not committing. I'll just go back to having fuck buddies."

"Hell, _if_ it fails you can always start dating girls again." The blonde smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry, I mean, I'm the last person to talk relationships with. I sucked at my only three and then gave up. I'm just looking for fun and nothing serious. I think that you should try that after giving yourself some time to be alone and just with the babies."

"Yeah. I'm good with being alone with my loves and my family." Bri rolled over onto her back and trailed her fingers through her younger sister's blonde hair and nodded. "We just have to see how it all plays out. I don't want it to end but I don't want to be sad either. I mean, I'll be sad regardless but you know? There are extremely amazing and happy moments we have together and then there's the times where he just withdraws, checks out, disappears for a while and I'm left to sort of scramble to figure out what's wrong with me that he doesn't tell me shit. It just fucking sucks that he doesn't wanna tell me anything until it gets to a point where it's absolutely necessary for him to tell me."

"Not gonna pack up and end up in Scandinavia right?" Nik chuckled as she turned her head slightly to look at her older sister. "Or Russia, Norway, or hell Europe, Asia, any other continent besides North America, right?"

"I will not pack up and leave. Javi and Monica are stable and need to stay that way. Me running was fine when they were younger but now I couldn't rip Javi from Camryn or Monica from Happy." Bri shook her head and sighed. "Let's talk about something else though, this is too depressing for me right now."

"Good… So, I'm thinking that we bake cookies and stuff as a family tomorrow. I mean all of us! All the suits, their girlfriends if they got them. It'll be a good ass time." Nik nodded and smiled as she sat up. "Come on! Grab the babies, we're going to go get baking shit right now."

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"I can't believe we're actually in this clusterfuck that is Walmart, just two days away from a holiday." Bri scrunched up her face and shook her head as she pushed her cart behind her sister Nik. "Monica, make sure you don't get separated, are you sure you don't wanna ride around in the cart with Javi?"

"No mom." Monica shook her head as she looked up from her magazine. "I'm fine. I'm reading about holiday cookies. Look how cute these are! They look like reindeers, can we make some like this? Please?"

"We can make whatever type of cookies and desserts you and Nik want to. Let's grab everything that we think is cute and we can go on from there." She stopped in front of a display of cookie cutters and smiled. "Look mamas, it's Christmas ones. You want these?"

The brunette nodded as she started pulling cookie cutters off the shelf. "Yes! These are perfect. Auntie look at them."

Nik accepted the pack and smiled. "Oh hell yeah, we can each do our snowflakes different colors with this set. Good eye guys." She tossed it into the cart before beginning to browse for more items. "I'm thinking that we can do the traditional colors of red, green and gold. Then we can always toss in our favorite colors as well."

"Let's just do it this way. Let's clean out the baking goods. Just grab everything, we can always give away what we don't end up using." Bri smiled. "I wanna make some cupcakes as well. I need them in my life."

 **December 24, 2011**

"It smells like a bakery in here." Juice smiled as he walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Bri's shoulders and buried his face in her neck before placing a kiss to her skin. "What's all this, you're finally treating the guys like little elves?"

Bri nodded. "Working everyone like slaves babe." She turned around and smiled up at him. "Wash your hands and get to work. This is a family event, we're decorating cookies, cupcakes and just enjoying time together. So, you need to get in on it. Look at Javier, he's even trying to decorate."

"I'm gonna get in on it." He kissed her and smiled as he pulled away from her and moved towards the sink. "I'm gonna be the best decorator."

"Look at you Javi baby, you got more icing on yourself than you do on the cookie." Igor smiled down at the little boy. "Look at him Brianna! He's looking like a Jackson Pollock painting, it's amazing!"

"Cookies mama!" Javier smiled and nodded. "They taste so good, I love them."

"Are they babe?" Bri smiled at her son and snapped a few pictures before training her camera on the rest of her family. "This is good, all these cookies and memories. We're never gonna forget this holiday season."

"This was a good idea Auntie Nik." Monica smiled at her mom and aunt. "The guys are really into it. Look at Igor's cupcakes! They look like little snowmen!"

"This is exactly what we needed as a family." Juice nodded and smiled. "I thought I was gonna be good with this but damn, my cookies look ugly." He held up the two he managed to decorate. "I was trying to put my tribal tats on them."

Bri laughed. "Your cookies are terrible. Mine are cute." She held hers up and smiled. "They have cute little stockings on them."

"You could have just decorated the stocking shaped cookies!" Nik shook her head. "Nice going Brianna!"

"Shush!" The brunette rolled her eyes. "I wanted to freehand it. I think they're perfect. Look at Elijah's, he's got suits, audis and ties on his sugar cookies! Elijah you're a talented little thing aren't you?"

"I like to believe I am." Elijah smiled at Bri. "Monica's snowflakes are looking gorgeous though."

"Thank you! Look at Anthony's cookies, they got little elves on them." Monica pointed to the man sitting next to her. "We gotta do this every year!"

Bri nodded. "I agree, we gotta make it an every year thing. Maybe next year Happy, Jacey and their little family will be able to join us for this. Let's see if we can't get all these cookies and cupcakes decorated. We'll eat most of them but share some at dinner tomorrow." She smiled and looked around the kitchen at her family, happy that Juice was actually present and not off in his own little world.


	9. Emotion

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 **just as a heads up, the Christmas party is mentioned but isn't written about in this chapter. it's over in Trite Escapism. This is kinda what happens before and after the party.**

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 **December 25, 2011**

Six in the morning and Juice was sprawled out in the middle of the large family room, his eyes trained on Monica and Javier who were ripping through their presents like crazy. Littering the usually pristine space with wrapping paper, ribbon and packaging. "It didn't have to be this early babe." He looked at Bri who was taking pictures like crazy. "It's way too early."

Bri shook her head and smiled. "This is what I did when I was little. Wake up at the asscrack of dawn and open presents. Aleksandr would be half asleep, trying to get through the first cup of coffee while dodging the flying paper and boxes. Look how happy they are though, they don't care that it's early as fuck and the Sun isn't even up yet. All they care about is what's in the pretty presents we made them wait weeks to open and what did Santa bring."

"I got a dino!" Javier held up the red and orange T-Rex and flashed a goofy smile, one that resembled his father's all too much. "Look at him mama! I got a dino!"

"Oh, he's handsome." The brunette smiled and nodded. "You gonna forget all the other dinos now because you got the big one?"

"I'm gonna keep 'em all mama." He nodded as he looked up at the tree and smiled. "I love dinos so much."

"I got a new set of pencils!" Monica smiled. "Look at them! They're the real deal too, not the beginner pencils. Thanks mom."

Bri grinned. "I'm glad you love them baby."

"Look! Juice got me a sketchbook!" The brunette held it up and smiled at the man on the floor. "Thanks JuJu."

"You're welcome Fancy Face." Juice reached out and squeezed Monica's hand and smiled. "I know how much you love sketchbooks, that one is imported from Russia."

Monica smiled, setting the sketchbook off to the side before grabbing another bigger present. "I'm loving this Christmas so much! It's been going so well." She nodded, tearing into the wrapping paper. "It's a new laptop!"

"Yeah. Juice was telling me that it's better for editing pictures. I know you were experimenting with that so I wanted to give you the best available tools to hone your craft with baby." Bri smiled at her daughter. "Let's finish getting these presents open, then we can be lazy and have some breakfast or something." She nodded, picking a present from under the tree with her name on it. "Oh, it's from Elijah." She ripped through the paper and smiled. "Aw, he got me that bag I wanted!"

"What?" Juice sat up and looked at the bag before shaking his head. "I guess you're gonna have two of these things now." He smirked at her. "I got you the same thing, just a different color."

Bri smiled and nodded. "I'm totally okay with having two of the same thing." She grabbed the bag back and kissed Juice. "I can't wait to open yours and see what color you got me baby."

He nodded and kissed her again, pulling her onto his lap. "I think you're going to love it babe. It's a nice color. It goes with your personality and everything."

"Gross! Go be kissy somewhere else!" Monica shook her head. "We're opening presents right now!"

The couple laughed. "I'm sorry baby." Bri smiled and glanced at her daughter before kissing Juice again. "I'm just really happy right now."

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Juice wrapped his arms around Bri's waist and rested his head on her shoulder as they watched Monica and Javier run around the backyard. They had forgotten all about the presents that littered the space of the family room, instead they were focused on the newest addition to the family, an English Bulldog puppy that they had lovingly named, _Vader._ "At least they picked the cutest goofiest name they could think of."

"I still can't believe they have a puppy." Bri shook her head, watching the tiny little white puppy chase after Javier. "I can't believe I bought them a damn puppy!" She sighed and relaxed into Juice's embrace, happy that he was still around and hadn't tried to make a dash for the door yet. "It's a cute puppy though."

He nodded, kissing her cheek as he backed up to the bench in the garden and sat down, keeping Bri on his lap. "I know, I'm excited about it. It's a good looking puppy. Vader is a welcome part of the family and as soon as they go to sleep, I'm playing with him."

"I knew from the look on your face that you were going to be more excited about that damn puppy than Monica and Javier." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Monster is not entertained at all by the puppy. He's trying to figure out what it is exactly, never encountered anything that little."

Juice kissed her neck and nodded excitedly. "It's a cute ass puppy."

"I wasn't going to let them name him but when he popped out of the crate and they named him, I knew I was stuck." Bri sighed. "I need to get his tags and all that redone with Vader on 'em. I also have to let Miss Camryn see him in person. I promised that I'd let her and her puppy hang out with the new puppy one day for a sleepover."

"Mommy!" Javier waddled towards the couple, the puppy in his arms as he did so. "Look at Vader!"

"Baby, put him down. He can walk, he has four legs." She smiled. "You two gonna forget all about the other presents in the house now that you have a puppy to play with?" She watched carefully as Monster moved towards Vader, sniffing the air carefully before sniffing the tiny puppy. "I think Monster wants to get to know Vader."

Monica sat down on the grass, taking the puppy into her lap as the big dog laid down next to her. "He thinks Vader is his baby! That's so cute." She smiled as she rubbed the big dog's back. "You guys are two cute doggies."

"We're in trouble now." Juice shook his head. "Monster is going to turn into a killer if anyone tries to mess with the puppy now. He's gonna be dad."

Bri smirked. "That's good. We'll have to walk them together, so they get further acquainted with each other. We'll do it tomorrow after we all sleep in. Tonight is the Christmas party with the whole family. It'll be a fun time. I promise you guys that much." She nodded her head as she squeezed Juice's hand that was on her hip. "Love Christmas parties so much."

 **December 26, 2011**

Bri sighed as she looked at the mess that was her dining room and family room. The Christmas party was a huge success. The family enjoyed the food, company and last exchange of presents. She on the other hand was battling against herself. Somehow Juice managed to distance himself from the entire thing, opting to hide out in the kitchen instead of interacting with everyone. The act making her truly upset. "Fuck this." She wiped at the hot tears rolling down her face as she began clearing off the table.

"What's wrong?" The voice startled the brunette, causing her to drop the dishes she was holding. "Shit, I'm sorry about that Bri." He moved towards her, helping her pick the dishes back up.

"What're you doing in my house Jax?" She sighed, turning away from her, so he wouldn't see the mess she was. "Don't remember you staying behind."

He shrugged. "I forgot the gift you gave me. Frey let me back into the house." He looked at her intently and sighed. "What's wrong? Juice leave you again?"

She nodded. "He went for a ride." She moved out of the dining room and into the kitchen. "Who knows when he'll come back… He got a phone call and he just said he had to go for a ride. I'm over his shit, I know it's not club related because you're here, Happy is there. It's a goddamn holiday and he decided to leave." Bri shoved the dishes into the dishwasher and started it.

"Why don't you just leave this to clean up for tomorrow." Jax took the knife from the brunette's hand and set it on the counter. "You need to take a bath, get some sleep."

"I gotta keep myself busy." She sighed. "I _need_ to keep myself busy."

He shook his head as he lifted the brunette off her feet and draped her over his shoulder. "You can play in the bath. We'll find you a rubber duck or something." He moved out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, ascending them slowly. "You gotta stop letting him treat you like shit. If he doesn't wanna be around, if he wants to keep shit from you, you need to let him go and take care of yourself." He moved into the bathroom and set her on the counter. "Relax alright, alright?"

"Yeah." Bri nodded as she started to undress, her grey eyes on Jax as he started the bath. "You didn't have to do this Jax. I'm not your burden to deal with."

Jax paused and looked at the brunette before shrugging. "Friends help each other out. Plus, I left your present at home so this is the least I can do to help you out until I can give you your real present." He flashed her a lopsided smile before helping her into the tub. "So, just relax, alright? It's not good to stress out. I know you are in love with Juice but you can't keep sacrificing yourself for him. He's not doing what a man needs to be doing. I may have been shitty to Wendy but I'm doing better now, changing my ways. You don't deserve the stress and heartbreak Juice is putting you through."

She submerged her head under the water for a moment before popping back up. "I feel like I'm the punchline… Like I love him so much, I'm in love with him but I'm not getting the same in return. Yeah, I feel it at certain moments but I feel like everyone knows that it's failing and a lost cause but they keep offering up support because I'm so hopeful about it. I'm just tired of failed relationships… I just wanted to live happily ever after with the man I took to be the love of my life."

He shook his head, rubbing his hands up and down his face as he watched the brunette start to cry again. "You deserve better and I think you know that… You're just settling out of fear of putting yourself back out there. It doesn't need to happen right away. You can take your time, learn how to properly be single before you get into another relationship. You're too pretty, too talented, too amazing to be in this shit with Juice. If he doesn't realize how much you're hurting, he really needs to reevaluate."

Bri sighed and nodded. "I know what I deserve, what I need, what I want, what I don't want. I deserve better, I need better, I want to be happy and in love, I don't want to be miserable and regretting the decisions I've made over the last few years. That's so damn terrible. It's so fucking upsetting. I've got an amazing son from it, don't get me wrong but nothing else but empty promises and heartache."

"It's good you know it. Just take care of yourself." Jax nodded. "I gotta head out. Be good thought Brianna, hate to see you like this." He flashed her a smile before moving out of the bathroom and out of the large bedroom suite and straight down the stairs, only stopping when he heard heavy boots on the floor.

Juice looked up at Jax and furrowed his brow. "What're you doing here? The party ended a few hours ago."

"I had forgot my present. I then ran into Bri who was crying and cleaning up the dining room." Jax shrugged. "Got her relaxing upstairs in a bath. I wouldn't bother her if I were you. She's in a bad place and needs time alone. I think if anyone can understand that, it's you."

"Don't appreciate you overstepping your boundaries Jax." He shook his head. "She's my fiancee, I'll take care of her."

Jax scoffed. "Yeah, alright. Stop dragging her through shit. Get yourself in fucking order. You don't have a goddamn right to torture her with your bullshit. When you have a Queen you don't leave her alone and vulnerable." He shook his head and pushed past Juice. "Brother to brother, you need to either fix shit with her or let her go and find her happiness and self elsewhere because what you've done to her is just fucked up. She's not the same person I met a few years ago. She's self conscious, sad, unhappy… You get where I'm fucking going with it."

Juice clenched his fists and looked at the man before stalking up the stairs past him. "When you have a successful relationship, I may be more inclined to take your advice." He grumbled as he moved into his bedroom and into the bathroom, sighing as he found Bri relaxed in the bathtub. "Hey, can we talk?"

Bri looked towards Juice and nodded. "Yeah, we can talk…" She trailed her hands through the water and sighed softly, knowing exactly what was going to come from their little talk. It was inevitable though, it was going to have to happen sooner or later. "We need to get everything out on the table now though Juice."

He nodded as he started a slow pace, trying to figure out exactly how to get what was on his mind out and in a way that wouldn't upset the brunette too much. He knew he wasn't being the best he could be to her, knew he wasn't what she needed in her life. It wasn't a fact lost on him. It was something he was being reminded of continuously. "I've been shitty towards you. It's not fair. It's not nice… I'm sorry."

She sighed again, her grey orbs on the water and not the man. "Well, it's good that you've realized that… I don't know what you want me to say to it. It's not like you offered up some type of solution."

Juice rubbed his forehead and sighed. "I think we should break up." He held his breath, waiting for the brunette to explode at him. "It's not fair for me to keep dragging you behind me on this rollercoaster ride where one day I'm all about being here and with you and Javier and one day I'm just in a mood to be alone." He kept his brown eyes on her, watching as she continued to trail her hands through the bath water. "Say something Brianna, please."

"Alright, then we're over." She looked at him and nodded, not bothering to wipe the tears that were steadily streaming from her eyes. "Don't know what you want me to say right now either. I hope you figure out whatever it is that's going on in that head of yours. Sorry I wasn't good enough for you, not good enough for you to talk to, not good enough for you to love properly. I'm sorry I wasn't what you needed or wanted." She stood up from the tub and grabbed her towel, wrapping it tightly around her body. "I'm sorry that I was stupid enough to believe we'd work out because I loved you too much." She shook her head as she backed out of the bathroom. "We're done here, grab your shit and leave."

He shook his head following behind the upset brunette. "None of this is your fault Bri… It's all my fault. I'm sorry. It's just- It's just that I can't seem to keep my head in a good place right now and it's not fair for me to drag you through this shitstorm that is my life." Juice watched her get dressed and frowned. "I'm sorry that I waited this long to realize that we just aren't going to work. You can keep the rings though, do whatever with them."

"Fuck your indecisive ass!" Bri growled at the man as she pulled her engagement rings off her fingers and tossed them towards her dresser. "Fuck you and your bullshit! Fuck you for playing with my goddamn emotions, once again. I feel so fucking stupid for believing that we could have a happily ever after. Fuck, I'm so fucking stupid for loving you and being in love with you still after all this shit. Just get your shit and get the fuck out of my house. Expect to be served by my lawyers soon for a custody arrangement. I'm fucking done here." She slid down the wall and rested her head in her hands as she started to sob. "So fucking stupid Brianna… So fucking stupid."

Juice stood silent for a moment, watching the brunette break down emotionally, something he hadn't seen since the first time they split for good. It was the same eerie feeling, the same sight. He had pushed her to her breaking point, it wasn't what he wanted but he had to do it. He needed her out of his life, he needed his son out of his life, at least until he figured his shit out with Roosevelt and got his mind in the right place. "I'm so sorry Brianna… I swear I didn't want it to be this way again. I'm taking what I can carry now. Feel free to have the guys box the rest of it or whatever. I'm sorry. I'm going to give Javier a kiss bye."

"Don't fucking care what you do, just get the fuck out of my house." Bri glanced up at him briefly and shook her head. "Thanks for breaking my heart _again_ …" She pushed off the floor and moved out of the bedroom and down the stairs to her office, locking it behind her as she processed what had just happened, Juice had broken up with her. It was unexpected, she was the one who was going to end things with him. "Fuck!" She screamed before collapsing into an emotional mess on the floor. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

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 **Let me know what you thought about this chapter. It was short but a lot happened.**

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	10. Aftermath

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 **This chapter is a super long chapter. So enjoy that, yeah.  
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 **January 2, 2012**

Six days in and Juice was feeling like shit. He had once again managed to fuck up the best thing that had happened to him. He had pushed the one person in his life who cheered for him constantly completely out of world. To him he was being selfless but he knew in Bri's eyes he was considered selfish. He wanted so badly to spill everything to her. Wanted to bring her in on the bullshit and pain he was dealing with but he couldn't bring himself to do that to her, couldn't have her shoulder half of his burdens. Instead he was going to be there for his son, if Bri wanted him there that is, he was going to get his shit together, prove to Bri that he didn't break her heart for anything. It had a purpose.

"You look like hell Juice." Lyla passed the man a bottle of water and a bottle of aspirin. "I think you could use both of those."

He nodded, taking a swig of the water before taking a few aspirin. "I feel like hell." He glanced up at her and shrugged. "Thanks for this though, I appreciate it."

The blonde smiled. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be around the clubhouse all day. I hope you get through whatever it is that you're dealing with."

Juice nodded before resting his face on the cool surface of the table and watching as Happy moved into the clubhouse behind Jax. "Happy… Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Happy looked at Juice and nodded before taking a seat. "What can I do for you kid?"

"How is she man?" He sighed as he rubbed his eyes and blinked at Happy. "You have to know something."

"She's bad, she hasn't talked to anyone. Doesn't wanna leave her room, the suits have actually moved back in to help with the kids while she's working through her shit." Happy shook his head and shrugged, trying to keep his anger at bay as he took in the pitiful mess in front of him. "She'll get through this with time. She's a strong one."

Juice sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know she will." He sat up straighter as he took a sip of his warm beer and nodded. "Thanks. I hate asking you about this because we did have a conversation about my behavior before. I'm just trying to let her go and let her understand that she does deserve better."

Happy stood up. "Yeah, she deserves a fucking man, that's going to be a man and not fuck her over constantly. In my opinion, this breakup is good for her. She'll cry, she'll yell, she'll hate every moment of it but when all that shit passes she's going to realize that she can do better and she'll move on." He pushed his chair back under the table. "You on the other hand… I hope you figure out your life man. I really do."

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"You shouldn't be here Juice." Elijah shook his head as he walked up the stairs and spotted the younger man standing in the doorway of Javier's room. "You know that. You should be as far away from here as possible."

Juice nodded. "I had to see him. I missed him." He glanced back at the man and sighed. "I miss them all."

The man shrugged. "That's to be expected but you can't come in here whenever you want. Be respectful to Brianna. You broke her heart, she needs time, space, and you not to be around. She'll come up with a custody arrangement. One that'll be beneficial to you and Javier. At least she's giving you that because she wants her son to have a good relationship with his father."

"I'm happy she is." He looked directly at Elijah and sighed. "Can I just lay with him for a little while? I'll be gone soon. I just want to cuddle with my son."

Elijah nodded. "Yes. I'll wake you if you fall asleep. For the record, I'm not doing this or you. I'm doing this for Javier."

"Thank you man." Juice flashed a small smile as he moved into his son's room and laid down next to him. "I missed you Javier. I'm sorry about what I did to your mom but I'm still going to be here for you. Do all that I can to be the best dad to you. Not going to skip out on you like my dad did to me. I promise you that. I love you." He cuddled up with his son, smiling when the little boy turned and looked at him. "Go back to sleep Javi."

Javier nodded. "Love you daddy. Night, night." He kissed his chin and moved closer against Juice and yawned.

He pulled the blanket over them and relaxed even more, feeling like if he could show Bri that he was determined to be an amazing dad that maybe she'd be willing to be friends with him and not just co-parent. "Night. I love you forever and always Javier."

 **January 4, 2012**

Eight days and it was the first time Bri was bothering to even step foot out of her room. After being dumped by Juice, she had taken to keeping to herself, choosing only to interact with Javier or Monica, if even them. It was an emotional toll but she was determined to pull herself out of the bath of self pity she had been drowning herself in. She wanted to be happy, be good with the man she thought was her everything now being simply the father of her child. "I hate sunlight." She mumbled as she started down the stairs and towards the sound of laughter in the kitchen. "Why is the sun so bright?"

Elijah looked up at Bri walked into the kitchen, a smile creeping across his face. "Well look who finally came out of her cave. How are you my dear?"

She shrugged, moving to the stool next the man. "I'm alright. I guess as good as one can expect me to be. I'm processing it. I'm moving on from it. I'm trying to resolve myself to being okay with being single. I need to focus on myself now and my babies."

He nodded. "Good to hear." He passed her his plate of fries. "Just made them about five minutes ago. I will make you something to eat. Just name what you want."

The brunette shook her head as she picked up a fry and dipped it into the ketchup. "I'm not too hungry. I think the fries would be good for now. I'll let you know about it afterwards though. Thanks Elijah."

"Sounds good." He smiled at her. "I did have your lawyer draw up the custody documents for you. I know that was something you wanted handle as soon as possible, so it's done. I talked with Happy, Monica is now in the independent study program. She only goes to school twice a week, to meet with her teacher."

Bri nodded as she continued eating fries. "That's good, that's really good. I'm glad the papers are done and she's in the program. How's Javier been doing with you? I know he was giving Frey some trouble but has he been listening to you Eli?"

"He's been good with me. I'm a little bit more firm with him than Frey is." Elijah pushed Bri's hair out of her face and sighed. "You really need to start taking care of yourself, you look sick Brianna. Gotta eat, even if you're not hungry."

"I know." She sighed as she pulled Elijah to her and hugged him. "I'll get my shit together. I don't wanna wallow anymore, I wanna be happy and healthy."

He rubbed her back and nodded slowly. "I'm glad you're wanting to do this for yourself. I'll be here for you, each step of the way. I know Jacey keeps bugging about seeing you. Are you going to see her today? She's going to drive us all crazy if you continue to turn her way."

Bri laughed. "I'll go over and see her. I'll talk to her, cry with her. Try not to get envious of how well her life is going for her." She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I guess I'll shower and clean up first. Can't go over there looking like a pale zombie."

"Mommy!" Javier came sliding into the kitchen, Vader on his heels. "Hi! Up!" He held his arms out, laughing when Bri picked him up. "Where you been?"

"I've been sleeping, I was feeling yucky!" She kissed him and smiled. "You've been good for the guys right? Or do I have to beat your little butt Javier?"

"I've been good for Eli!" He nodded and smiled. "He put me in time out four times!"

" _Four_?" She shook her head. "That's not being good baby, not at all. I hope you don't get put in anymore timeouts though. You gotta listen to Elijah more. He's in charge when I'm not around, got it?"

"Got it!" Javier nodded. "Down, please?"

Bri set him to his feet and smiled. "Go, have fun, be good… I'm going to shower. I'll see you when I'm out Elijah. Maybe have a grilled cheese waiting for me?" She grinned at the man before turning on her heels and walking out of the kitchen.

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Basketball shorts, crop top, and Nikes had Bri feeling somewhat like her old self. The self she was before all of this mess, the self she was before she had come back to California. She moved out of her house and slowly down the driveway, knowing to any passersby that she looked ridiculous but to her she didn't care, she was just trying to be comfortable, just trying to relax and not stress out about her current broken heart. "So dumb." She mumbled to herself softly as she reached the front door of her best friend's house and pressed the doorbell repeatedly, feeling all her emotions and stress of the last eight days come rushing over her as she waited for anyone to answer the door.

The door slowly opened by Bri's pouty niece who easily started smiling once she saw who was standing in front of her. "Oh Aunt B! Are you here for the tea party?! Me and Cato are having a tea party!" She nodded her head.

Bri smiled down at her niece. "I will love to have some tea. Your mom can totally wait until after the tea party to talk to me."

"Oh, you're here for mommy? That's ok! We can have another when the cookies are done. Daddy's making cookies with mommy, they're for the tea party. You can wait for the next one." She smiled, nodding her head again as she reached out and grabbed Bri's hand. "Come in! Don't stand out there!"

The brunette nodded and let her niece tug her into the house. "You promise that we'll have one when the cookies are done? I need some tea time with my favorite little Camryn."

"Of course... I wouldn't miss it for nothing! Is it ok if Cato's with us? He's had a bad day..." She whispered, holding her finger to her pink lips. "Don't tell him I told you... He doesn't want anyone but me to know. Mommy's in there with Daddy." She pointed toward the kitchen.

"Yes, it's ok! I won't tell him anything I promise." Bri smiled and bent down to kiss her niece's forehead. "I'm looking forward to the tea party with you two." She grinned as she moved away from Camryn and into the kitchen. "Need any help?"

Jacey looked back, smiling briefly before shaking her head. "Nope, Hap's just washing the pans we just finished using, the other two pans just got put in the oven."

"Alright. I came over to talk and let you know that I'm alive." Bri nodded.

The blonde pushed her braid over her shoulder and nodded, pointing toward the living room. "You wanna go outside or to our room?"

"It doesn't matter, whichever is more comfortable for you." The brunette smiled.

Jacey shrugged. "Let's go upstairs, a little exercise might do me good…" She smiled, leaving the kitchen and headed toward the stairs. "Come on, let's leave _Mr. Mom_ to his chores." She looked back at her fiance and smiled.

Bri nodded, following Jacey up the stairs. "Sorry I've been ignoring you. I just wasn't up for talking or anything."

"Sorry for pushing the guys into insanity… I just wanted to try to help. I know I'm honestly the last person you want to see right now but I'm glad you decided to visit." Jacey shook her head, walking into her and Happy's bedroom, lowering herself onto the bed.

"It's fine, they knew you were checking on things because you care." Bri smiled. "I wanted to see you, it's why I'm here visiting. I just need my sister. You know?" She sat down next to Jacey and rested her head on her shoulder. "Can't keep running from those who care for me."

Jacey slowly nodded her head, wrapping her arm around Bri for a moment before pushing her away and crawling further on her bed. "Come here… We can lay here and just cuddle, we can talk about it or we can just cry about it." She held a hand out for her sister.

She smiled and moved up the bed, grabbing Jacey's hand. "Don't even know where to start with talking about it." She laid behind Jacey and wrapped her arm around her belly. "I'm just so heartbroken."

"I'm sorry if you get kicked… He's excited today." She mumbled before she took Bri's hand in hers and started guiding Bri's hand over her belly. "The beginning, tell me what happened, babe… I thought you were trying to work through things."

"He went for a ride after the Christmas party, he had gotten a phone call." Bri sighed. "I was cleaning up, Jax had shown up when I was crying, he drew me a bath. We talked, he left and Juice came in asking to talk and he just broke up with me."

The blonde scoffed. "What an idiot… What the hell was my brother doing there?" She shook her head before rolling over to face Bri. "I'm sorry babe, you and the babies can hide out here if you want. Hap's been playing Chef Boyardee and Cam's apparently the Queen of America now so I'd love to see you more often."

"He said he forgot his present." She shook her head and smiled. "That's cute as hell. Happy being a chef and Cam being Queen. I'm proud of them. I don't know, I was kinda wanting to take the babies and go to the vacation house in Pismo for a month or two."

Jacey shook her head. "I grabbed his damn present, that idiot. He knew that." She shrugged, smiling. "Hey, don't make that face… It's ok, go on vacation. It's perfectly ok with me, I just need you to get better and work through this properly."

"He was cool. I may have let him see all the goodies again when I was getting into the bath though. That wasn't common sense on my part." Bri nodded. "I don't know. Like half of me is completely dead and the other half is just barely hanging on. I spent the first few days trying to figure out why I wasn't good enough and the last few days just crying and sleeping. I know I have to be single for awhile and discover myself but I sorta suck at being alone."

The blonde shrugged. "Oh well, he got a good glimpse of grade A beauty then, huh?" She kissed the brunette's forehead. "You are not alone, Brianna, you have your babies, you have those ridiculous suits that feed into our children's needs too well, you have Nik, _me_ , and you have Hap. He's an ass but he loves you and will happily rip Juice's heart out for you just to see a smile on your face." She shrugged again, throwing her arm over Bri's waist. "You're hurting, it's ok… Just means you're alive and you were very much in love. Even if it was with someone who will never deserve that love."

"I know. I'm blessed to have all of you in my life. I really am." Bri smiled at her sister and nodded. "I feel so stupid for allowing myself to be that vulnerable to someone. Never again. I don't care if I'm single for the rest of my life. I'm never putting myself in this position ever again. I rather be single and give all my attention to my babies."

Jacey shrugged, laughing at the series of kicks her son dished out as she and Bri moved close to each other. "Sorry…" She smiled, nodding her head. "You're not going to be single for life, there's going to be someone who is going to worship every single thing about you, all the flaws if there are even any at all. You're going to get annoyed by how much someone loves you but you have to wait to get smacked in the face with this happiness and this love."

"He's being mean to me already! What!? He's Happy!" She laughed and shook her head. "I dunno. I'm not a believer anymore. I think I'll go back to being a pessimistic little brat and just shop and be a mom."

The blonde shrugged, grinning. "He's clearly trying to cuddle too, that's his way of getting your attention." She huffed. "You know what, Brianna? I'd prefer you to be happy and healthy, I don't want anything less than that, babe." She kissed her forehead again. "If you wanna be one of those old ladies that eats icing out the tub and has twenty-six cats or dogs, hell have pet squirrels… Just be happy and healthy. Don't let this be what kicks your ass and makes you a non-believer." Jacey smiled again. "This worst part of this talk is knowing I'd be spoon-fed the same annoying speech if the roles were reversed." She laughed, shaking her head.

"I am already an old lady who eats icing straight from the can." Bri shrugged. "This has thoroughly kicked my ass. I was stupid, loyal, hopeful, loved him with _everything_ I had to love him with. Man, I was so invested. I just felt that it was going to be my happily ever after. I mean, he proposed twice. It was supposed to work but it failed miserably and I don't even know where to go from here. I know I have to pick up the pieces and put myself back together, I know it's going to take a long ass time to do it. I'm just stuck."

Jacey shook her head. "Call me dumb or crazy or even kick my ass for saying this but I think I know who can actually help you…" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I swear, I will shove you down the stairs if you say Happy." Bri smirked at the blonde.

The blonde shrugged. "Shit i was going to sell my man to you for a week… But nevermind." She smirked, rolling her eyes. " _Never_ mind." She shrugged again.

"We both know that I wouldn't give him back." She shook her head and smiled. "I'd keep him forever. Sorry about it."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "That's without even knowing what he's like… You'd give him back. That drive can get out of control sometimes." She smirked, shaking her head. "Jax… Go hang out with him."

"I would welcome it… Sadly enough, Juice and I didn't have enough sex." Bri rolled her eyes. "I've been texting Jax for a few days now. Don't judge me."

The blonde shook her head. "If I was a crazy bitch, I'd tell you to have at it. But he's mine and I'd probably kill you if you slept with him." She shrugged. "Are you going to keep him around for a bit? He's pretty good at distractions, that idiot may be an ass but he actually cares about you. He's told me so."

"Keep him. I don't even want him like that honestly. He's handsome as hell, don't get me wrong but I don't see that ever happening." She stuck her tongue out at her best friend and nodded. "Yeah, he's been pretty sweet and whatnot. I care about him too, I honestly don't really know what went wrong between us, besides the pregnant wife thing."

Jacey lightly popped Bri's mouth. "I'll treat you just like my little Queen." She laughed, nodding. "Hey, he was working on a divorce, you could've made more out of it. Plus, he totally whined to me about you and Juice all the time."

"Take me lingerie shopping and I'll love you forever. Nothing says Queen like a sexy lingerie set under my skirt and blouse I wear to work." Bri smirked. "Like I said, I don't even know what really happened. One day we were laying in bed with Monica together, watching cartoons and the next day I was laying in bed with Juice. Don't know where we lost communication."

The blonde shrugged. "I'll do it, but you gotta fuck with my brother and show him everything we buy. Let's take him with us… We'll make him be your judge!" She grinned.

"Fine, I'm down to do it. I need to get out and have a distraction anyway while the suits setup my new bedroom." Bri smiled. "Call him and invite him! .God! I feel like I'm twelve again, asking my best friend to invite the cute guy to hang out at the mall."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Say please, bitch… I'm not accepting your demands anymore since you're dumping me for some blonde hoe!"

"Please?" Bri smiled. "I'll buy you some sexy maternity pants."

The blonde gagged, shaking her head. "Sexy maternity pants… This is my life right now, oh my god." She scoffed. "I'm so over life right now… Come on, let's be cute and go shop. I'll call dumb dumb while you go hug on Hap and let him know he can stop worrying."

"Yes! I saw this cute pair at the store a few weeks back but you didn't have enough belly for them but I think you do now." Bri rolled off the bed and adjusted her shorts. "Do I look sick? Elijah was doing his fatherly thing over me earlier."

The blonde shook her head. "I'm almost five and a half months pregnant… Ew." She shrugged, grabbing Bri's hips and jerking her to her. "Fix your makeup, you teared up and smudged shit up. Go find my makeup… and EAT, Brianna!"

"You're rounding out nicely because of the giant in there." Bri nodded. "I've only lost like ten pounds, I'll gain it all back over the next week." She smiled and moved around Jacey and into the bathroom. "I'm so ugly right now. I look like a zombie!"

Jacey shook her head. "Is it too late to check out of this pregnancy? Don't get me wrong, he's a sweetheart and I love him so much but he's a fucking kicker… A _kicker_." She shrugged. "You're gorgeous, just need to stop sulking!"

"You're stuck with the little kicker!" The brunette shrugged as she reapplied her eye makeup. "That's easier said than done… Like imagine Happy just dumping you out of the blue with no warning. You think it's good, maybe a slight problem but it's alright because you're working on shit but then bam! He's dumping you! It wouldn't be a fun time for you either. Let's go. I'm ready to annoy your soon to be husband."

Jacey shook her head. "Are you kidding me? I'd die… I'd literally die if he did that." She shrugged. "He might be a little snippy, he didn't sleep last night."

"I'm dead on the inside Jacey." Bri nodded. "Maybe I won't bug him after all."

Jacey nodded her head, pulling her best friend to her as she kissed her face. "Then we'll bring you back to life… It's not hard, I could cover this by myself." She shook her head. "No, he misses his little baby bestie."

"I wish I could pick you up and carry you like old times… Your kid has to hurry up and finish cooking." Bri kissed Jacey's nose and nodded. "Alright, then let's go bug him. See if he will let me have a cookie."

The blonde shrugged. "He's trying, I promise… He's wanting to meet his big sister the most. She's always laying with him, cuddles him, oh god and reads him stories. My heart melts every time she does it, too. She's such a sweet big sister." She smiled, nodding her head. "He won't keep you from the cookies unless…. well nevermind."

"I still want another baby. My life sucks." Bri shook her head as they walked down the stairs and straight into the kitchen. "Happy, can I get a cookie please? Look, I'm using my manners and everything today."

Happy picked his head up from the countertop and shrugged. "Take the hungry, weird food craving asshole she's pregnant with." He nodded. "They're over there, Camryn said she's gotta postpone the tea party, her damn dog is sad again. She apologizes."

"I wish." The brunette nodded. "Ah man. I was looking forward to it. I'll have to check in again later. She should take her dog next door and let him play with Monster and the new puppy Vader. Might cheer him up." She grabbed a cookie and smiled. "These are pretty good."

The man shook his head. "I'll gift him to you for your birthday, he'll just be a little late." He shrugged. "Dog ain't sad, Camryn's pretending he is because I won't let the big ass thing on the couch like she wants." He rolled his eyes before flashing a brief smile. "Thanks, Mama taught me everything." He gestured to his fiancee.

"I told her to bring him over to my place, he can sit on the sofas there." Bri smiled. "So cute that you two are baking together."

Jacey shook her head. "I taught him things, I didn't bake with him… Camryn told him she wanted cookies so he got in here and shut shit down." She smiled. "I'm going to drop Camryn off with Frey and Igor since they're with Monica and Javier." She kissed Happy's head. "Sleep."

"Take the dog with her. I think the other two suits will be there too because they're the ones doing my bedroom over for me. Finally getting rid of all the white." Bri took five more cookies and smiled before hugging Happy. "Thanks for the cookies and take a nap!"

The man nodded his head. "I'll take her over there… Where are you two going?"

"Lingerie shopping because I need more sets for work." The brunette smiled. "I'm also getting your lady here some sexy maternity pants!"

Happy cocked an eyebrow at his girlfriend before looking at Bri. "Did you say sexy maternity pants? What the hell is that?"

"Remember all my ripped up jeans, leggings, pants from when I was pregnant with Javier? Those are sexy maternity pants. They look like normal pants but they have the elastic band that just hugs the belly perfectly." Bri nodded. "Jacey is gonna be looking even sexier with the new pants on."

Happy shook his head. "Whatever you say, princess…" He stood up, groaning as he stretched a little. "Didn't think her blonde ass could get any sexier but ok, have fun. Stay out of trouble, Jacey. Keep her happy ass out of it too. I'm not picking your asses up from jail."

"It's alright, Jax will keep her in line." Jacey smiled and shrugged. "Have a nice nap babe."

Happy nodded. "You're taking the kid and her damn dog?" He pulled the blonde to him and kissed her lips. "Get me something nice." He smirked at her before moving away from her, towards the stairs. "Be safe…"

"We're so not being safe." Bri shook her head. "Let's grab the cuties and go."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "He's so dead to the world… Poor damn man." She sighed, moving out of the kitchen and into the garage. "Wait, no… Child. Where is my child?"

"Go find the kid. She'll probably love being at the house and letting her dog lay on the sofas with her." Bri smiled. "Give Happy time to sleep and be happy."

The blonde shrugged. "She feeds off his energy so I'm sorry if she gets sassy with you. If daddy is sick, so is she." Jacey rolled her eyes again. "That's what she told me earlier… My child is such a little brat, I swear. She just wants to be able to cuddle with her _puppy_ on _her_ couch. That's all." She shook her head before she moved back into the house, quickly making her way to her daughter's bedroom, seeing the little girl laying face first in her bed. "Come on, baby, you and Cato are gonna go to Aunt B's and see Iggy and Frey."

"What is daddy doing?" She rolled over and moved off her bed to walk to her mother and hold her arms out. "Up, up!"

Jacey lifted the two year old up and started out of the room, looking back to see the pitbull following her. "Daddy needs a long nap, babe, so me and Aunt B are going gross lame grocery shopping and you and Cato are going to see all your best friends. Including your boyfriend, Javi." She descended down the stairs and back through to kitchen to the garage to get in the black Range Rover. "Show Aunt B how you buckle up by yourself, baby."

"What? My baby can buckle herself up?" Bri looked back and smiled at her niece. "Guess what? You get to meet the new puppy over there too. He's a cute little puppy, you and your puppy are gonna love him."

The little blonde shrugged. "Daddy taught me!" She smiled, her jaw dropping. "What? Nuh uh! Really? I can't wait to see her!"

"Yes huh! A cute little all white puppy. It's a boy but the girl is on her way, she gets dropped off tomorrow. You wanna help me name her?" The brunette smiled at her niece.

Camryn nodded eagerly, smiling at her aunt. "Hell yes!" She pushed her hair out of her face. "I can't wait to see her! Mommy can we spend the night with B tonight? Let's have a slumber party, please!"

"Yeah Jacey! Can you spend the night!? We can break in the new bed with cuddles, snacks and laughter!" Bri smiled at her sister. "Come on mama!"

The blonde shrugged. "What about her daddy? I can't leave him in that bed by himself… He might just need the sleep though." She nodded her head. "Alright, I'll think about it, Cami."

"The more the merrier. I hate sleeping alone anyway and Monica has been cuddling with Elijah and Javier has been with Nik!" The brunette sighed. "Time for the cuties to be dropped off then to go run those boring errands."

Camryn shook her head. "Daddy can't stay! Girls only!" She unbuckled her seatbelts and sighed. "That was tough… Wait, look mommy! It's Frey! FREEEYYYY!"

"CAMRYN!" Frey smiled. "What brings you on this side of the gate!?"

She hopped out of her seat and tried opening her door to no avail. "FREY FREY FREY! I missed you!"

"I missed you too." He lifted her up and grinned. "You come to hang out with me? Look at that, you brought me a doggy?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Noooo, that's my puppy Cato! He's sweet and cuddly and he's my best friend, next to Javi then Iggy then you!" She looked back at her aunt and smiled. "That meanie face isn't here, right?"

"Anthony isn't here. He moved, he won't be here anymore." Frey shrugged. "Let's go inside and play. Bye Jacey, Bye Brianna. I'll keep her and Cato out of trouble."

Jacey waved before pulling out of the driveway, shaking her head. "Why'd he move?"

"Elijah moved him out." Bri shrugged. "He said Anthony was getting too distracted by everything and wasn't doing what he was hired to do."

The blonde nodded her head. "Fired or trying to work with him? That's gonna suck when Camryn gets out of her feelings and wants to see him again."

"He's working with him. Going through the rules again. He'll be back around." She smiled and nodded. "I'd kill to bounce back and get over guys like Cam. I need her spunk. I'm honestly trying my hardest not to cry again because I don't wanna ruin my makeup."

Jacey shrugged. "There's only one boy that upsets her and she takes the longest time to get over and that's her boyfriend." She smirked, shaking her head. "Don't cry, smile, you're raising your niece to be a little maneater! Be proud, baby!"

"I wish I was able to pack up and run away for a little bit. Monica and Javi would kill me if I made them leave Cali." Bri sighed as she looked out of the car window, her mind racing a mile a minute as she worked through her emotions. "I just wish I could hate him… I think it'd make this process better. It took me _years_ to get over him the first time but I don't have that time anymore."

The blonde reached over and grabbed her best friend's hand, lacing their fingers together. "You can hate him, just don't do it so strongly that it makes Javier hate him too. Until Javier discovers his own reasons…" She brought Bri's hand to her lips and kissed her hand. "Stop thinking about this and relax."

"I want to hate him but I still love him." She sighed and looked at Jacey. "I'm trying to stop thinking about it. I'm over thinking about it and when I start feeling like maybe I'm getting better, something will remind me of him."

Jacey shrugged. "It's always going to be like that, Bri, you have Javier. All he has to do is smile and it's Juice all over." She shook her head. "You have to want to get over him. That was always my problem. There was always something holding me back… _always_."

"I want and need to be over him." Bri nodded. "I don't want to love him anymore. I want to move on and be happy. I can deal with Javier and the goofy smiles. I love my son to death. I just need to get myself to the point where I can function and not go into an emotional tailspin when I see something that reminds me of Juice. I want to just love myself and be happy."

The blonde squeezed Bri's hand and smiled. "You'll get through this… I know you, babe, you don't do losing. We'll get through this together, ok?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." Bri smiled and nodded. "Thanks J."

Jacey pulled into the parking lot of the mall, her eyes scanning the entire lot for her brother's Dyna, not seeing it, she pulled out her phone and passed it to Bri. "Call Jackson and find out where he's at."

"I'll happily call my future husband." Bri smirked at Jacey. "This is me focusing on something fun and potentially healthy and happy." She dialed the number and held the phone up to her ear, listening to the rings before hearing the line click. "We're in the parking lot, where are you at?" She nodded, listening to the man talk before ending the call. "He's inside at Hotdog on a Stick."

The blonde rolled her eyes, smirking. "Marry him, I don't care, just hurry the fuck up and get him _off_ my back about you. If he tries to get me to talk to you for him one more time, I'm popping his ass off." She shook her head, smiling. "Awww we want hotdogs!" She pulled into the closest parking spot by the doors and quickly got out. "Come on, come on! I want food. He wants food."

"Brianna Teller… It has a nice ring to it." She shook her head and followed behind the blonde. "Now I wish I would have worn something sexy and not something comfortable."

The blonde looked back, eyeing Bri's outfit. "Doesn't even matter what you're wearing, he'll just take it all off anyway." She shrugged.

"I mean, I'm not against that but still." The brunette shook her head as they walked towards the food court. "Good thing I look good in whatever I put on."

Jacey smirked, shaking her head. "You're gross… Talking about fucking my brother. Yuck." She stuck her tongue out. "Nope, he just already knows what he's working with and he wants more, apparently." She shrugged.

"What are you gonna get to eat? A regular hotdog or a corndog?" Bri smiled as she eyed the menu. "I may want a corndog but I'm not hungry but you know I could get hungry."

Jacey looked around for her brother before rolling her eyes. "Yeah I don't think they serve what you're looking for, hoe." She shook her head. "I want two footlongs! With extra mustard." She smiled widely, looking at the cashier. "Seriously, two footlongs."

"You're really gonna get two footlongs but not even bother to get fries?" The brunette rolled her eyes and smirked. "Looks like your brother is getting groupies!"

Jacey shook her head. "I was going to get curly fries and a huge ass Dr. Pepper but now I'm not sure since you wanna be all judgemental and shit." She looked around before seeing her brother sitting at a table, talking with some women. "What a whore…. Ok my bad, large curly fries, extra large Dr. Pepper and make sure I have extra mustard!"

Bri shook her head and smiled at her best friend. "I can have a fry right? Or do I need to get my own?"

"Ok, three large fries and another footlong with onions, mustard and ketchup on it." Jacey looked at the cashier. "Quit gawking at me, I'm pregnant with quintuplets. Damn." She huffed. "Here here, take this, I don't need to come back up here unless my order is ready, oh and add an extra large strawberry lemonade!" She passed him a twenty dollar bill, quickly taking her receipt before walking away from the counter. "Damn little shit."

"Man, the kid can eat." Bri moved towards Jax and his groupies and cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

A scantily clad blonde turned and looked at Bri, rolling her eyes. "You're excused, hun…"

Bri rolled her eyes and locked eyes with Jax. "Jax, can we talk really quickly It'll only be a few minutes then you can go back."

"Of course, babe, come here." Jax grinned up at the brunette. "You ladies are clearly pissing off my girl here, so disperse." He shrugged, looking passed one of the blondes to see his sister walking toward him with a tray full of food. "Damn, Jacey, who the hell are you feeding?"

"He tells me what he wants and I give it to him." Jacey smiled and shrugged. "Some of these fries are for Bri though."

The man shrugged. "Fatass. So you really wanna talk to me or did you just want me new friends to leave?" He squeezed Bri's thigh and grinned at her.

"I really wanna talk to you." Bri smiled at him. "I also want them to leave because if they keep staring at me like that… Well, I'll be needing you to bail me out of jail."

Jacey finished her first footling before she stood up. "I'm going to find some ice cream, hurry up and talk. You make me feel awkward!" She shook her head, flicking Jax's head before walking off.

"Whiny ass." He smirked, shaking his head. "What's up? What do you wanna talk about, babe?" He tapped on the table, getting her attention.

"Stuff." Bri smiled. "I want to thank you for being here for me, since everything's happened. It's been fun reconnecting with you. Getting to know the new and improved Jackson Teller."

Jax shrugged, flashing his infamous lopsided smirk at the brunette. "You're welcome... Yeah, it has. I've enjoyed talking to you. Didn't realize how much I missed talking to you until now."

"I know. I've missed it too… I was just telling J how you, me, and Monica would lay in bed and just laugh and watch cartoons." She grinned and nodded. "We're going to have to actually hang out more."

He smiled, nodding his head. "Most relaxing days ever... But now we've gotta make room for Javi." He shrugged. "Don't know how much he likes me but we can work it out."

"He'll like you. I mean, he's into following his Uncle Happy around." Bri smiled. "When you have a free day, just stop by and we'll pile into the bed and watch cartoons and you and Monica can catch up. Then you and Javi can become friends."

Jax chuckled. "That's because Hap's just a lovable guy, duh, Bri." He shook his head. "She's doing good, huh? I miss her a lot... That sounds like a good plan, I'll clear my schedule immediately."

"He is when he wants to be. Javi is brown nosing to get on his good side because Cam is his girl." She nodded. "She's doing good but she's misbehaving like crazy. It's up and down with that girl. I think she misses you too… Definitely misses the tea parties."

Jax laughed, nodding. "Hey I understand that... Even though Cam's a tough little cookie anyway. All the luck to Javi..." He smirked at the brunette. "Oh so you're saying your little mini-me is acting like you? Shocker..."

"I know, she doesn't take his shit. I love her for that." Bri nodded and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she's acting just like I did when I was young and I hate it! I now know what my parents went through with me and feel bad. Monica is so sweet and smart but she's just like whatever about everything now. I'm hoping her being in independent study will shape her up though for when she goes back to public school."

The man shrugged. "She doesn't take anyone's shit... She's a little loner anyway, doesn't like being bothered... But she's all over her little boyfriend. Bet Hap loves that." He smirked. "Don't worry, babe, you never shaped up."

"She's my little independent artist. I love her so much, like if I could ever have another daughter, I'd want a little Camryn." She shook her head. "What!? I think I shaped up quite nicely. I haven't been in trouble in like two weeks. How's your son doing? You've been teaching him how to ride a Dyna yet?"

Jax laughed, nodding. "She's the reason I'd want more kids. Quiet and to herself." He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Yeah right, whatever you say... You're with my sister. That's trouble in and of itself, babe. Nah, his mom doesn't want his around the club or bikes... So I'll go see him at her house, I take my truck and all."

"She's pregnant, there's not much trouble we can get in. Unless we rob the food court. I'll be eating just as much as she is." Bri shrugged and nodded. "That's understandable but look at you being a dad and being all responsible and whatnot. I'm proud of you."

Jax laughed. "You don't know who you're talking about then." He shrugged. "I'm trying... I just hate this whole situation, I know she hates me but she's making shit difficult with Abel."

"Shhh, I'm trying to make us seem responsible and not like troublemakers." She laughed and furrowed her brow. "Maybe shit will change when she kinda validates your change in level of maturity. I'd let you watch my kids. I'd even let you babysit my suits."

Jax laughed, shaking his head. "Who knows... I'd never babysit the suits. They're shitheads sometimes, especially if my niece is in the room." He smirked.

"I dunno what you're talking about. I think they're quite lovely all of the time." She trailed her fingers through her hair and smiled. "Anyway, I made Jacey invite you shopping because I'm forcing her to buy me new lingerie and she told me she would if I tortured you with it all."

Jax laughed. "They're good people until Camryn walks in and they're all over her." He nodded, slowly standing up. "You gonna model some lingerie for me?"

"They like giving her what they want!" Bri stood up and nodded. "Yes, yes I am." She looked around the store briefly before pointing to Victoria's Secret. "I guess we'll start there."

The man shrugged. "Lead the way, babe, let's just find my sister first… Gotta make sure she's not in labor or anything."

"She's probably in Carter's buying baby stuff." The brunette moved towards the baby store and smiled. "That's where I'd be if I was her."

Jax rolled his eyes. "Do you see her right now? Look at all the shit in her hands." He shook his head. "Remind me to get on Happy's payroll… That man knows how to make money and make her happy."

"He's an investor and never likes to spend a lot. I mean, have you seen his credit cards? He has like the same ones I do and I'm like impressed as fuck." Bri smiled. "Jacey! You're already spoiling the kid, will he even fit any of it? I'm banking on him being at least eight pounds, if he's not I'll be all types of upset."

Jacey turned, smiling. "What? He's a little tiny baby… He's only gonna be like four pounds, shut up…" She shrugged, holding up a onesie. "Look, remember getting Cam this onesie. Now Baby Sweetness can share his love for his daddy's tattoos with the world." She smiled.

"Jacey, if that baby is only four pounds…" The brunette smirked and nodded. "Sweetness better share his love for my tattoos because I'm gonna kidnap him every time his dad isn't around to stop me."

The blonde shook her head. "You won't have to worry about that. They don't like each other right now." She shrugged. "Ok I'm lying… He's gonna be like eleven pounds."

"You'll probably have to get cut." Bri rubbed her friend's belly and smiled. "Little Paulie is gonna be my son when you guys aren't looking. I'm trying to remember what dad called him. I think he called him Yancey or something like that."

Jacey scoffed. "Hell no, no no no… I'm not naming my son Paulie or Yancey. Probably Rex or Butch." She shrugged. "Satan, Lucifer, Lucius, I haven't decided yet."

"You better either name him something that starts with K or with B. I will not accept any other letter of the alphabet." She shook her head. "I'm letting you know that now, so you and Happy can properly prepare… Now, let's finish up this baby shopping. I have lingerie to buy."

Jacey shook her head. "My check-up yesterday he was like two pounds, little fathead. I'm doing the 3-D shit tomorrow, what are you doing tomorrow? Nevermind, you're going with me."

"He better bulk the fuck up in the next three and a half months. I swear Jacey, if he's tiny, I'm gonna be so sad because I picture him all fat with little rolls and everything." Bri laughed and nodded. "We'll see. You'll have to get me out of my cave."

The gorgeous blonde rolled her eyes. "I need a baby Hap. Have you seen his baby pictures? Oh my fucking hell, he was so chunky and smiley. I mean rolls for years." She laughed, shaking her head. "He thinned out when he was like five though, bastard. I will have you out of that damn cave even if I have to drag you out by your weave…"

"All my hair is real, all natural, no additives." Bri shook her head. "No, I'm gonna barricade myself in! Especially since I gotta break in the new bed. I gotta sleep in it for twenty-four hours and get it all worn in and perfect!"

Jacey shook her head. "I hate you and your weave… Go be a hoe with my brother. I have cards to max out." She poke her bottom lip out and turned away from her sister, walking off to a new section of the store."

"Don't listen to her, you and I both know my hair is all mine." The brunette smiled at Jax. "She's not leaving this store anytime soon. She'll probably buy it out."

Jax chuckled, shaking his head. "You two are ridiculous… Come on, lead the way."

"She's the one with extensions." Bri shook her head as they walked out of the store and towards Victoria's Secret. "I'm thinking red lingerie, maybe some royal blue and white. I don't know for sure yet though."

The man shook his head. "I think some black would look good on you too." He shrugged, smirking at her.

"Black could look good. I've never had a black set before believe it or not." She smiled at him as they walked into the store and straight back towards the intimates. "I'm in heaven. I swear! Look at all of it Jax. Even though you're probably in a whole different mindset."

Jax shrugged. "Get two of each set, babe. Try it all on!"

"Someone is excited!" Bri smirked at the man as she started pulling lingerie sets in her size off the display. "Look at this one, it'll cover hardly anything." She shook her head and smiled. "Gonna try it on for sure."

Jax shrugged again, smirking at her. "Nothing like seeing a gorgeous woman in all her glory…" He nodded. "I'll just be in the room with you."

"I can't disagree with that." She smiled as she looked through a few more sets. "This one is cute, it matches my thigh holster I just got for Christmas." She held up the white lace lingerie and garter belt set and nodded. "Alright, let's find an open fitting room. I got the ones I wanna try on first."

The man nodded his head, following after the gorgeous brunette as she walked into an open fitting room. "Definitely need to see that thigh holster… You'll have to model that for me, too."

"Happily." Bri hung up the lingerie before quickly ridding herself of her street clothes. "This black one first." She pulled it on, studying herself in the mirror before looking towards Jax. "You were right, I look good in black."

Jax eyed the woman carefully, licking his lips as he watched her pull the lingerie on. "That looks really really good on you, babe."

"Yeah?" She smiled at him and nodded. "This one is coming home with me. Now, I wanna try on the red one. I'll save the white set for a different time, so I can model it with the holster for you." She laughed as she shed the black bra and thong and slipped into the red lace set. "I'm gonna go broke because I just wanna go back and buy all the lingerie in my size right now."

Jax nodded his head. "It looks good but damn, red is your color, Bri. You look good as hell." He grinned at her. "I'll support your shopping problem."

"Thank you." She grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah? What do you want in return, _babe_?"

He shrugged. "Why do I need anything in return?"

"I was just asking." She shrugged as she changed into the royal blue lingerie set. "This is sorta the club color right? Or am I wrong?"

He nodded slowly, standing and adjusting his pants. "I don't need anything in return… This is what giving a good friend what they want looks like." He nodded. "Yeah, it's close, bet it looks just as good on you too."

"You're an amazing friend." Bri smiled at him before pulling on the front of his shirt. "Gonna have to find a set in the club color and model it for you. Maybe you'll let me do a little shoot with your bike or something."

He placed his hands on her hips and started pushing her against the mirror, his face inches from hers. "I'm definitely ok with that…" He murmured, his blue eyes on her gray eyes.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded, her eyes never leaving his. "Good… You'll have a new poster to hang up in your old room at the clubhouse." She smirked, as she moved her face closer to his.

"I'll just put it above my fireplace at my new house…" He nodded his head, bending to press his lips to hers as he pulled her body flush against him, his hands slowly moving from her hips to her ass.

Bri kept her arms around his neck as she pressed herself tightly against him, deepening the kiss as she parted her lips slightly. "Gonna have to give me a house tour…" She smiled against his lips and nodded.

"Whatever you want." He mumbled, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. "I'll be happy to give it to you." He kissed her again before he started moving to her neck as she tilted her a neck a little, giving him more access to kiss, suck and nip at her soft skin.

"Just want more of this." She sighed as she caught his lip in another heated kiss, moving her body slightly against is. "Forgot how fun it was to makeout with you."

Jax moved his head to the other side of her neck and started sucking on her skin as his hands moved from her hips up her back and started unhooking her bra. "Don't know why we ever stopped."

"That was my fault…" Bri let a quiet moan fall from her lips as she felt his mouth on her right breast. "Don't wanna stop again, that's for sure."

The man started to roll her nipple between his teeth as his other hand massaged her left breast. His blue eyes flicked up to her face and smirked, seeing her eyes closed and her lips parted. "It won't then… I promise."

"I'm holding you to that." She flashed a lazy smile as she slipped her hands under his shirt and ran her nails down his abs. "I can cross this off my bucket list now…"

He chuckled. "Don't worry, babe, I won't go anywhere unless you want me to." He eased her back to the floor and hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties, sliding them down her body before he picked her up again, pushing her against the wall again as his mouth landed on hers.

"Probably won't want you leaving." She moaned into his mouth, feeling his hands squeezing her ass. "You just gonna keep playing with me?"

Jax shrugged, smirking at her once he pulled back from the kiss and nodded. "You know just how much I really love it so why not?"

"Because we're in a dressing room and I'm impatient right now." She shrugged as she smiled at him.

He nodded before reaching into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, pulling a condom out of one of the small pockets and passed it to her. "Alright, alright, babe, whatever you want." He smirked before he reached between them and unbuckled his belt and started unbuttoning his jeans before he started pushing his jeans and boxers down. "Relax, babe, you'll get what ya want."

"How much you wanna bet that we're gonna get kicked out of here? I'm not the quietest…" Bri grinned as she watched Jax carefully. "You're the best though, first you support my shopping problem and now you're giving me dick… You're a keeper." She smirked at him before pressing a kiss to his lips.

He shrugged, ripping the condom open and rolling it on his cock before he guided it through her folds a few times before he pushed into her, sighing as he adjusted to the feeling he once knew very well. "I know you're not but you're gonna have to keep it down in here."

She nodded, biting her lip as he started a slow pace. "I'm gonna try…" She mumbled, letting her head rest back against the mirror as she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Just as amazing as I remember."

"Missed this." He nodded, picking up his pace as he covered her mouth with his while one of his hands started to massage her breasts. "You feel so damn good, Bri." He continued thrusting in her at a quick pace, his mouth sucking on her collarbone.

"Love this…" She moaned softly into his mouth, as one of her hands gripped his forearm as her nails dug softly into his skin as she moved her body in rhythm with his. "Fuck, this is so damn good Jax."

He nodded again, picking up his pace once more before his lips found hers and his hands dropped back to her hips, squeezing them roughly as he continued thrusting deep inside of her. "I'm coming back to your place…" He mumbled.

"Gonna help me break in the new bed…" Bri sighed before sucking the man's bottom lip into her mouth, her teeth grazing over it softly as she continued to move her hips. "Shit… I'm so close."

He nodded his head. "Yes. All night." He mumbled, his blue eyes on her as he dropped one of his hands from her hip to her triangle, rubbing at her clit roughly. "Yeah? You gonna cum for me, Bri?"

"Yeah." She nodded, biting her lip as she felt her orgasm begin, her body tensing up slightly as she shuddered slightly, her eyes fluttering shut as she succumbed to the pleasure of her orgasm. "Shit…"

Jax continued to rub her clit as he picked up his pace, thrusting into her roughly as he tried to ignore the approach of his own orgasm. "Aw fuck." He groaned.

"Jax…" The brunette mumbled, her eyes slightly open as she watched the man carefully. "Feels so fucking good baby… So damn good."

He nodded, kissing her neck. "I know, baby…" He smirked down at her before he started a quicker pace, burying himself deep inside of the brunette as he bit into her neck. "So perfect."

"Love it." She let out a satisfied sigh as she felt a less intense orgasm start. "Needed this so much."

He groaned lowly as he felt his orgasm intensify before he spilled his seed into the condom. "Glad you decided to invite me… I miss this shit so much."

"I'm glad as well." Bri nodded and smiled. "God, I didn't know I missed you and this so much…"

He shrugged, pulling out of her and easing her to ground. "Why don't you finish modeling these tonight at your house?" He cocked an eyebrow at her as he removed the condom and tied it off before pulling his jeans and boxers back into place.

"Yeah. I can finish the modelling at my place." Bri smiled as she started pulling her clothes back on. "Still know the security codes right?"

Jax nodded. "Yeah, of course… Just call one of the prepays whenever you want me to come over." He grabbed her face, kissing her lips again. "Now go pick out whatever you want and let's go find my sister, babe."

"Look at you, spoiling me." She grinned at him as she grabbed the lingerie from the bench and opened the dressing room door. "This has been really fun. I'm happy this happened."

 **.**

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"I slept with Jax." Bri dropped onto the sofa and looked at her younger sister. "Like in the dressing room at Victoria's Secret earlier…"

Nik looked at her sister and shook her head. "You're such a slut… Was it fun?" She smiled.

"It was amazing… It was a good distraction." The brunette sighed as she pulled her legs up onto the sofa. "I needed the distraction, right? It also happened to dredge up old feelings and memories of time I spent with Jax. Like I'm even more emotional than ever because I'm starting to think I actually did just settle for Juice because he was something familiar and warm and not because I felt things would work out. Then to top it off, I had Javier."

The blonde nodded and smiled. "You are terrible. You leave the house for a few hours, end up fucking Jax and questioning the last four years of your life."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Bri sighed. "I just know that I gotta talk to Juice and I gotta do it soon." She cuddled up against her sister and yawned. "Cuddle me, until my bedroom is finished. I love you Nik. Never fall in love with a guy like Juice. It's never going to end well. Take my advice."

"Take my advice." Nik smiled. "Shut the fuck up and go to sleep… I'm gonna be here for you babe. Not going anywhere."

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 **You're going to have to bear with Brianna a little bit. She's trying to work through the heartbreak the best way she knows how. She's going to be going on an emotional roller coaster ride, especially in the next couple chapters. It isn't going to be easy for her or anyone around her for a while. So, let me know what you thought of this update.  
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	11. Eli

**January 8, 2012**

Bri looked around the park, her grey eyes constantly scanning every inch of it as she watched her son run after the ducks with other kids his age. She didn't know why she had agreed to meet her ex in the park. Although she had to admit it was a better place than at her home. A home where Juice no longer lived. "Javier! You need to slow it down!" She shouted after him as she watched him pick himself up off the ground as his lower lip began to tremble. "Come on my love." She moved to him and picked him up. "You're ok."

He shook his head, burying his face into her neck. "I hurt my hand."

"Oh goodness." She shook her head and looked at his hands before kissing them each. "I'm gonna make you all better, alright my love?"

He nodded his head as he reluctantly pulled away from his mom. "Where's daddy?"

"He should be here soon." She mumbled as she rinsed his hands with the bottle of water before pulling out a first aid kit from her purse and placing a bandage on the small scrape. "See baby boy, you're all better." She kissed his hand again, hearing the roar of a motorcycle approaching.

"Daddy!" Javier looked towards the street, a goofy smile on his face as he watched his dad park the Dyna. "He's here mama!"

"I see that baby." She hugged him before lifting him off the table and setting him to his feet before letting go of his hand and watching him run towards Juice. "That boy isn't gonna learn…" She shook her head, pulling her phone from her pocket as she felt it vibrate. "Hello?"

" _What're you doing?"_

"Hey to you too Jax." She shook her head, watching Juice and Javier laugh. "I'm at the park… Letting Javier and Juice spend time together."

" _How's that going so far?"_

"So far so good, we haven't talked yet but it'll probably change in the next few minutes or so." She sighed and looked at the weather worn wooden picnic table she was sitting on. "Can I call you back later? Maybe see you even?"

" _Yeah babe. Just call me, or stop by. I'll text you my address. Stay strong."_

Bri smiled. "I will. Bye." She ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket before watching Javier and Juice approach her. "He show you his first ouchie?"

Juice nodded as he sat down and pulled his son onto his lap. "Yeah he did. Said his mama kissed it all better too." He smiled at his son before looking at the brunette. "Thanks for this. I missed him like crazy…"

"No need to thank me. One thing I'll never do is keep you two apart, no matter what's happening between the two of us." She smiled and shrugged, feeling her heart skip a few beats. "We have all afternoon. I don't have work and he already took a nap earlier today, so he's free to hang out until you have to go."

"Daddy! You wanna get some ice cream? There's the ice cream over there!" Javier pointed a tiny finger towards the vendor and smiled. "Let's go!"

"I guess, we're getting ice cream. Do you want anything?" Juice looked at Bri and offered up a small smile. "They probably have your favorite…"

Bri waved him off. "No thank you. I'm not up for ice cream today."

"Come on kid." He lifted Javier up and moved towards the ice cream vendor. "What ice cream do you want?"

Javier eyed the selection before pointing towards ice cream. "I want the play dough ice cream. Mama calls it superman ice cream but it tastes so good but looks like play doh." He smiled as he accepted the sealed cup from the vendor. "Thank you."

Juice picked out his own popsicle and paid the man before walking back towards the picnic table. "He has that weird playdough ice cream."

"My baby has good taste in ice cream." Bri smiled as she helped her son open his ice cream. "This is the best ice cream, huh Javi Baby?"

"Yeah, it's yummy." He fed his mom a spoonful before eating one himself. "It's so good. Mama, you need some more."

She shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine baby. I'm not craving ice cream today. I'm not even hungry right now."

"Ok, I'll feed you later." Javier nodded before turning his attention to his dad. "Can we chase ducks after ice cream?"

Juice nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we can chase ducks when we're finished eating ice cream."

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"Man, he just knocked out." Juice looked down and smiled at his son as he and Bri stood on the playground. "I thought he chickened out and didn't wanna slide."

Bri smirked and shook her head. "Leave it to our kid to fall asleep while going down a slide." She watched Juice ease Javier from the slide and hold him to his chest. "He's going to have a good night's sleep." She rubbed Javier's back and smiled. "My precious baby boy."

"I'm still grateful that you let me spend time with him. It was amazing. I really needed this." He moved off the playground and started towards the parking lot, his eyes focused on Bri's royal blue Audi. "Thank you."

"Stop. You don't have to thank me. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for him. I want him to grow up and have a solid relationship with you. Whether you live with us or not, he's always going to know you and hang out with you." She unlocked her car and opened the back door for Juice. "Just call me or text me when you're free and we can do this again."

Juice nodded as he closed the door and looked at the brunette, his heart leaping into his throat momentarily as he fought the instinct to pull her into a hug. "I know I don't have to thank you but I'm still happy about this. You've been great to me and I've been shitty."

" _Stop_. I'm not doing this here or now." Bri shook her head. "Just text me or call me when you're free and we can do this again. Our communication is to remain strictly about our son and not about us."

"I got it." He stood for a moment, watching her get into the Audi before he waved and watched her pull out of the parking lot before he moved back towards his Dyna, slipping his riding glasses over his eyes as he saw a familiar man. "Son of a bitch."

"Juan Carlos Ortiz." Eli Roosevelt smirked at the man. "Enjoy your family time?"

Juice tensed up and shrugged. "I don't know, you tell me since you've been watching me obviously."

"I say you enjoyed your time with your son, the woman however, she didn't seem to be into it. Spend most of her time smiling at her phone." He shook his head. "I'm still waiting for you to cooperate, give me what I want, so you can have what you want."

"I'm still working on it." Juice shrugged once more, his jaw slightly clenched. "You don't have to start watching my personal life. Leave Bri and my kid out of this shit."

"I don't know. I may have to pay Miss Hohrykova a visit." Eli smiled. "See if she knows anything about the club or it's activities."

"She doesn't know a damn thing. Leave her out of it. I'll get you what you need. Give me a few more days and I'll deliver." Juice pulled on his helmet and looked over at the man. "Just leave her out of this. I don't need her knowing any of _this_." He gestured between them and shook his head. "A few more days…"

 **January 9, 2012**

"I want to sell these rings, or at least turn them into something different." Bri dropped her engagement rings on the table between her and her jeweller. "Two failed engagements to the same guy… I know they're quality rings but I need them to be something different. I'm tired of the constant reminder Ryan."

Ryan looked at the brunette and nodded slowly. "I think we can turn these into earrings, maybe a different ring." He examined each of the rings before smiling. "He splurged on these rings, the diamonds are amazing."

She nodded and smiled. "Yes, I know." She tapped on the desk with her long red nails and shrugged. "I'm going to leave it up to you. You know what I love, you know what I don't love. I trust you. I'm going to look around. I am in the market for a new watch and my daughter is bugging me about getting a gold bracelet like mine, with her initials and favorite quote."

"Yeah, look around." He nodded, his attention momentarily on the man that had just walked in. "Hey, I'll help you in just a minute. I'm just finishing up with this lovely customer."

"It's fine. I'm just looking around, seeing if I see anything that my wife would love." He smiled before moving towards the display case where Bri was at. "Those watches are amazing. I can't afford any but I can admire them."

Bri smiled at the man. "Watches are my weakness." She held up her wrist and shrugged. "They're the perfect compliment to a nice suit… I found the watch I want, Ryan. Also, give me two of the gold bracelets, put _Hohrykova_ on one bracelet, then _Lowman_ on the other bracelet and then on both put ' _I conquer that which scares me'_. Don't look at me like that, Monica is wise beyond her years."

"Hohrykova?" The man asked. "As in the arms family? Biggest in the world?"

"Yeah, that Hohrykova." She smiled. "Brianna." She shook the man's hand and grinned.

"Eli." He smiled. "Roosevelt."

Bri paused, her brows stitching together as she stared at the man before rolling her eyes. "The fucker that's been giving Juice a hard ass time about club shit. So, lovely to meet you here. How long have you been following me for now?"

"Two days. You're a difficult person to get alone." He shrugged.

"Well, if you're trying to get information from me, about the club. You're barking up the wrong tree because I hardly went to the clubhouse and Juice kept me out of his shit. Hence the fact we're no longer together. Can't make a relationship work if there's no communication." She shrugged once more, her attention back on the watch that Ryan set atop the display case.

"Don't know anything at all?" Eli shook his head. "Come on, I find that difficult to believe. You live next to a Lowman, you dated Ortiz and if I'm not mistaken, you're friends with both Jacey and Jackson Teller. You have to know something."

"I don't know a damn thing about the club. I keep my nose where it belongs, in my own damn business." She turned completely around to stare at him. "If you want to continue asking me questions about shit I have no answers for, I would advise against it. You're wasting not only your time but mine as well. I don't like having my time wasted."

He chuckled, taking a small step back. "I'll see you around Miss Hohrykova… I promise you that much."

Bri rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'll see you around too." She shook her head and turned her attention back on Ryan. "Cops always think they can do shit. He's a dick."

Ryan nodded and chuckled. "He'll get what's coming to him… I know it."

"Oh, hell yeah." The brunette smirked. "I'll be waiting for your call. I'm heading back to work. I need a longer lunch break, I swear."

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"Baby." Bri dropped on the sofa next to Monica and smiled. "I got you a little something something on my lunch break today." She passed the boxes to her daughter and nodded. "You've been wanting them. I think you're old enough to take care of them, so there you are my dear. If you lose them, I'll have to kick your ass though."

Monica opened the boxes and covered her mouth when she noticed the delicate gold bangles. "Thank you mom!" She hugged the older brunette and smiled. "I love them! Why two though?"

"Check them out." Bri tapped on the bracelets. "You'll see why."

She nodded, looking at each bracelet before reading the engravings. "Hohrykova and Lowman." She smiled widely before hugging her mom once more. "And you put my quote! Thank you mom! I love you so much." She slipped the bracelets on her wrist and grinned. "They're so perfect mama, I love them!"

"I knew you would." She kissed her and nodded. "I'm gonna hunt down Elijah, he's in his room right?" She stood up and moved down the hall and up the stairs, pausing when she got to Elijah's room, knocking before she heard him move around. "Elijah."

"Brianna." Elijah smiled at the brunette. "What brings you to this neck of the hall?"

She sat on the bed and shrugged. "I was in the jewelry store earlier today while on my lunch break. A sheriff or deputy or whatever the fuck he is, he was asking me questions about the Sons as if I knew things about their activities. His name is Eli Roosevelt. He's also the officer that's been harassing Juice. I need you to pay him a visit. Scare him or something. Let him know that I'm not to be approached by him again unless he has a warrant."

"You want me to go scare an officer?" He adjusted his suit jacket before looking back at Brianna. "I'll do it. I don't know how effective it'll be, it may just put heat on you and us instead of having the desired effect that you think it'll have. I can watch him for a few days, then decide if it'll work out for you."

"Why do you have to be so levelheaded." Bri groaned and shook her head. "That's fine, use your best judgment Elijah." She stood up and hugged him. "You're also free to go back home and be with Kaia, I think I'm good enough to keep my household up and running again. I'm coping with everything."

He nodded and squeezed her tightly. "I believe you when you say that. I'm proud Brianna. I want you to know that." Elijah smiled at their reflection in the mirror and shook his head. "So, this is what we'd look like if we were an actual couple. We look quite dashing, me in my suit, you in yours. It's a match made in the bowels of hell."

"Shit, you wish you looked this good in a suit." She stood up to her full height and smirked as she adjusted her own jacket. "You wish you could rock a skirt suit, I have legs for days."

Elijah chuckled and shook his head as he adjusted her jacket for her. "What did I tell you when you were younger? If you're going to wear a jacket, it's the first two, middle two or no button." He smirked at her. "There, you look good."

"Oh, thank you Elijah. What would I ever do without you to button me up correctly?" She laughed and hugged him once more. "Think about it though. Scare that fucker for me. I'll love you forever! You know how I am! No one fucks with my family, not even with Juice! You know he's sensitive as fuck."

He nodded. "I'm going to watch him, then I'll talk to him. Relax Brianna, I'm not going to let anything happen to you or the family. Not to Juice either. I'm well aware of the fact that he's super sensitive. It's not a fact lost on any of us." He shrugged as he shrugged out of his jacket. "I have this situation under control."

Bri nodded as she laid on the bed, letting a sigh of relief out. "I believe you, I trust you." She buried her face into the pillows and yawned. "I'm going to take a nap, if you go downstairs just send Monica up here to cuddle with me. I'll love you forever. I just feel so drained still. I need to catch up on all the sleep I've lost during the first week of the breakup… Night Elijah." She pulled the blankets over her, her eyes closing slowly as she let the weight of the last two weeks send her into a much needed slumber.

* * *

 **This chapter was short and to the point. I hoped you liked it, let me know. :) also thank you for the feedback on the last two chapters. It was fun reading them.  
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	12. Elijah, Eli

**January 12, 2012**

"Hi Jax!" Monica hugged the man as soon as he stepped into the house. "What're you doing here? Mom isn't home from work yet. She doesn't get home for another whole hour."

Jax nodded as he looked down at the tiny brunette. "I guess you and I are going to be hanging out until she gets home. Is that good with you?"

"Yeah." She nodded as she grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the playroom. "You want to watch a movie or play a game. I'll let you pick because you're the guest." She smiled up at him as they walked into the room. "Ignore the mess, Javi plays in here too."

He smiled as he sat down in one of the oversized bean bag chairs. "It's not too messy. Let's chill out and watch a movie. I wanna watch something funny and it has to be a cartoon. You have any ideas for one Monica?"

"Yeah! We can watch Brave because it's a good movie and it's kinda funny but mostly really cool because Merida is a strong independent princess who does let her parents make her get married to a yucky boy." She scrunched up her face and put the movie in. "She's also the only princess with a cool accent."

He nodded and smirked down at the Monica as she sat down next to him. "Cool accent huh? She's Scottish?"

"Yeah just like Chibs." She nodded. "Not everyone can tell the difference between Scottish accents and Irish accents, it's a shame huh Jax?"

He chuckled and cocked an eyebrow at the little girl, trying to figure out how she had matured so much in a matter of two years. She seemed beyond her years. "You just are a smart one huh? Like your mom? What do you wanna be when you're her age?"

"I don't know. I'm thinking I wanna be a boss and boss people around like how mom does. You know 'cause she bosses the suits around. I wanna do that, have my own army of suits to boss around. I'd make them get me snacks from all over Cali." Monica smiled and laughed, her true age finally breaking through. "I think it'd be fun but when I don't boss them around, I wanna take pictures and teach art class."

"Oh, so you're gonna be a bit of Jacey and your mom. That's pretty cool. I can see you being a boss and teaching an art class." Jax settled further into the bean bag with Monica and smiled. "This movie is pretty good. I like it."

"It gets so much better." She nodded and relaxed against Jax. "This is one of my favorite movies. Coraline is another good one too. Just any really good animated movie is my favorite."

"You guys been good around here? Now that Juice isn't living here anymore?" He looked at the little girl and smiled.

Monica shrugged. "Yes. We've been good. Javi keeps asking for him though, it's sad."

He shook his head. "That is sad huh." He patted her head. "You got any cookies? I could use a snack kid."

She nodded and moved off the beanbag as she heard heels on the floor. "I think mom is home early. She wore heels to work."

"Hey hey." Bri smiled down at her daughter. "What are you doing Monkey?" She lifted her up and kissed her. "I missed you so damn much today baby."

"I missed you too mom. Jax is here!" She wrapped her arms around her mom's neck and rested her forehead against hers. "He wants to see you. He even watched Brave with me."

She nodded as she kept her daughter in her arms and moved into the playroom. "Hey Jax… How are you?" She smiled as Monica slipped out of her arms and giggled. "I guess she doesn't want to be held anymore." She moved to the man and hugged him tightly.

"I'm better now that you're here." Jax wrapped his arms around the brunette and kissed her. "How was work?"

"Cheesy." She buried her face in his neck and sighed. "It was a lot of work and sort of fun… I have the next week off so that's lovely. I get to cuddle and spend time with my babies. I'm looking forward to that. I'm having cuddle withdrawals."

"It's the truth." He flashed her a lopsided smirk as he dropped into the bean bag chair and pulled her down on his lap. "You need a week off. You deserve it. Maybe you'll squeeze in a little time for me between the cuddling with the babies?"

"Yeah, I'll make some time for you Jax." She smiled. "You can join us for a cuddling session. It'll be the best time of your life."

"Yeah?" He pulled on her blouse and nodded. "You wearing some of that lingerie we got from that mall trip?"

Bri nodded. "Yeah. I have the emerald green set on right now… That's not the point though right now. I just wanna be cuddly and relaxed. I wonder where Monica disappeared off to."

"I need to see it." He unbuttoned the top buttons of her blouse and looked inside and smirked. "Well, shit…"

"You're so here to fuck." The brunette smirked and rolled her eyes as she stood up. "You're out of luck babe… I'm too tired for your nonsense right now." She grabbed his hands and yanked him out of the chair. "Maybe after dinner I'll get some energy for you."

He wrapped his arms around her and shook his head. "I came here to hang out with you. I didn't come for a fuck… I'm all about hanging babe." He walked them out of the playroom and towards the kitchen. "What are we gonna make for dinner?"

"A call." Bri shrugged. "I'm not making dinner. I'm ordering pizza but if you want to make us something to eat. I'm all for watching you chef it up in the kitchen Jax."

"I don't know… I'm not a dinner type dude. I can eat dinner. I can grill but as far as actual meals, I'm not inclined. I usually got fed by my mom or fast food." He shrugged. "Let's order those pizzas."

"That's what I thought." She smiled and kissed his neck. "I need to call Frey and tell him to bring me my Javi baby. I miss him so much and Frey is just using him to pick up chicks at the mall. Guaranteed telling them he adopted the baby from some South American country."

The man chuckled and shook his head. "That's no good darlin'."

"Tell me about it but Javi loves Frey the most this week. It's been difficult on him, he hasn't seen Juice all week. So, I'm sort of worried about that idiot because he usually has been by twice already but I'll call him later and see what happened." Bri sighed. "We're getting garlic bread too. I just need to binge on carbs."

"I can see if I can find him for you." Jax squeezed the brunette's hips as she relaxed against him. "Let's get that pizza ordered. I'll foot the bill. I wanna see your carb loading…"

"You're dumb." She laughed and shook her head. "I know you're gonna buy me my own large pizza so I can knock it out myself."

"Anything for you." He nodded. "Gotta make sure I keep you happy and fed."

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"Have I really been gone that long?" Anthony hugged Bri from behind and lifted her up. "I see a Dyna parked in the driveway that isn't Juice's or Happy's." He chuckled and put her back on her feet.

"Oh look at you! Elijah let you out of suit timeout." Bri smiled up at the man and shrugged. "It's been a while… You know you were gone a damn month! Juice dumped me, you knew that shit. Had to… The bike belongs to Jax. He's around here somewhere."

"I knew you were gonna end up with that white boy." He smirked and shook his head. "Where's my girl?"

"Nik is not here, she's in the Valley, scouting locations for her next strip club investment." The brunette shrugged. "She's been invested because she misses you."

"Anthony!" Monica ran into the kitchen. "You came back for me!"

"Of course!" He lifted the nine year old up and smiled. "I missed you! It's been far too long since I've seen your gorgeous face."

She nodded. "I got a new lens for my camera. It's been fun! What have you been doing? Is this a new tattoo? Did Elijah make you get it because you got in trouble?" She poked at his neck and smiled. "Mom, Ant has a new tattoo, it looks like Frey, Iggy's, 'Lijah's, and Grandpa's."

"I see it." Bri nodded as she poked at Anthony's neck and shook her head. "Bro, you're in this for life now. No going back once you get the mark. You're really part of the Family, aww boo!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Anthony smiled as he hugged Monica. "I'm happy to be part of the Family. I'm also happy that I'm out of training and back to hanging out with my two favorite brunettes. Where's my son though? I missed my Javier?"

"He's not your son!" Monica shook her head. "You're silly!"

"Am I?" He laughed. "Well, where's my homie Javier? Is that better?"

"Yes." She nodded. "He's in my room, come on let's go get him!"

"Alright Bri, I'm being abducted." Anthony smiled as he moved out of the kitchen. "You been behaving for your mom?"

"Yes! Why does everyone ask that? I've been good, I promise." She opened her room door. "Javi, look who's here! It's Anthony!"

"Hey Ant!" Javier smiled at the man. "I got dinos, see them?"

He nodded and sat down on the floor across from the toddler. "Your dinos look so cool! I like this one, it's a stegosaurus right?"

"Yeah!" Javi nodded. "My favorite is this one! T-Rex is so cool, huh? Did you finally finish timeout?"

"Yes, I finished it. It took forever!" Anthony shook his head as he examined each of the dinosaurs carefully. "I'm back though, I'm gonna be good. I hate timeout!"

"Us too!" Monica nodded. "We had timeout earlier."

"We will all be good so we never get timeout again." Anthony nodded and smiled. "Come on now, let's play dinos."

 **January 14, 2012**

"Elijah, what are you wearing?" Bri smirked as she looked at the man. "Are you trying to tell me something right now?" She pulled on the light blue scrubs and smirked. "You going back to finish your degree and become a doctor?"

Elijah shook his head. "I had some business to attend to. It involved me appearing to be a doctor." He shrugged. "It's no big deal."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "You look handsome as fuck! Look at you Mr. Nasonov, looking like a million bucks all dressed up as a doctor." She pulled on his name badge and smirked. "I'm going to have to ban you from my office resources huh? I know that barcode number anywhere Elijah."

"No, no that won't be necessary." He shook his head. "I didn't scan it or swipe it, I just needed to look official. He smiled. "I was thinking that I'd just pretend I'm a doctor and go to work with you from time to time. I had fun assisting in an operation."

"You did what now?" Bri shook her head. "You're a horrible person… Have you talked to that Eli man yet? I really don't want him thinking he can bug me or anyone else I love for that matter. What if he bugs Jacey and Camryn? What if he starts watching Kaia?"

Elijah nodded. "I'm keeping an eye on him." He unzipped his suit bag and avoided looking at the brunette. He had watched Eli, he had watched Eli speak with Juice. It wasn't looking well at all, from what he gathered, Juice is working with the sheriff. "I think that I will touch bases with him this afternoon. See if I can't make him realize you're off limits."

"No! Don't put a suit on Elijah! Put street clothes on for heaven's sake." Bri shook her head. "You need to look casual today. Just like when we used to hang out with tiny baby Monica." She smiled as she moved towards his closet and threw him jeans, a shirt and sneakers. "Be less intimidating today, please? I need some fun in my life."

"Fine." He shook his head as he disrobed and looked at the items that Bri had tossed at him. "I feel like I'm in kindergarten again and my mother is dressing me."

"Oh you wish you looked that fly in kindergarten." Bri smirked. "Look at you. You look freaking handsome Elijah. My casual Elijah. Jacey would lose her shit if she saw you right now."

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Kaia will be here soon. I'm hoping to impress her with this look you have me in." He smirked and shrugged. "If she hates it, you're taking the blame."

"Aww come here?" The brunette pulled Elijah into a hug. "Pretty sure Kai will love you in whatever you wear. Scrubs included, when you weren't looking, I did take a dozen pictures."

"Oh, so you're taking photos without permission?" He rolled his head. "You're such a mess my dear."

"Yeah, pretty much. Monica has been showing me how to use her cameras." Bri smiled. "It's been a fun bonding time with her for sure."

"Oh, lovely. A third photographer in the family." Elijah scoffed as he shoved his wallet into his pocket. "Just what we really needed."

"You're an asshole. I hope your girlfriend pokes you in the neck." The brunette shook her head. "Have fun Elijah. I'm going to go grocery shopping with the babies. I'll see you later."

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"Okay, we need to get stuff to make enchiladas because I want some chicken ones." Bri looked down at Javier and Monica. "Are you sure you guys want to walk? I can put you right into the cart and push you around with the food."

"We're good." Monica nodded as she picked her brother up. "Can we get a candy?"

"One candy to share." She smiled. "We need to get some snacks too for after kickboxing, remember you also have to go to Grayson's this weekend. So, we can grab snacks for that since it's going to be an all day play date."

"Brianna." Elijah walked towards the brunette and smiled. "We're getting this giant cookie, I found it over in the bakery."

Bri smiled and nodded. "Of course you'd want to buy a giant cookie."

"It's my favorite kind." He smirked. "We have company… That Eli guy."

"I told you he was following us." She shook her head. "You need to go engage him or something."

"That's not smart." He shook his head. "I'm going to wait and see if he approaches us."

Bri rolled her eyes. "Even without the suit you're gonna be honorable? Go stomp him out Elijah."

Elijah shook his head again and tapped the brunette on her lower back. "Keep grocery shopping. If I approach him, it just gives him a reason to arrest me on sight. That wouldn't be good for any of us, especially since the children are around Brianna."

"Mom, look dino snacks!" Monica dropped the box into the cart. "We gotta get them for Javi Baby."

"Yeah, mommy dino snacks." Javier nodded and smiled. "I wanna sit!"

She grabbed him and placed him into the cart. "Don't try to eat those in here Javier. You hear me?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I hear ya!"

"I'll be right back." Elijah moved away from the trio and into another aisle, coming up on Eli. "May I help you with something sir?"

Eli turned and looked at the man before taking a quick step back. "Don't think you can."

"I see that you're following after Brianna… Is that professional? To stalk a woman and her children? She doesn't even feel safe enough to leave her home to grocery shop without having someone with her because of you." Elijah crossed his arms, his jaw set in concentration as he sized up the smaller man.

"Oh, you're her security detail?" Eli chuckled. "That's interesting. You have to be low on the pay scale, you're not wearing a suit…"

"Don't let the lack of a suit have you confused." He shook his head. "I do my security detail very well, with or without a suit." He gestured to his body and smiled. "What about you? Is it normal for you to be sleuthing in plain clothes?"

"Trying to be stealth." Eli shrugged. "Do you have a purpose of sneaking up on me?"

"Yes, I'm asking you one time, please leave Brianna and her family alone. Or at least keep the children out of this nonsense. They don't need to be around any of this mess." Elijah crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm asking you nicely, if you want to continue to look into Brianna, I suggest you get a warrant better yet find some probable excuse to bring her into the station…. If not, well…"

"Are you threatening me?" Eli placed his hand on his gun holster. "I suggest you back up."

"I'm not threatening you, I'm making you a promise. You want her, you have to go through me and I have no problem taking a few bullets and laying my life on the line to protect that woman and her family." Elijah nodded as he pulled a picture out of his pocket and held it up in front of Eli's face. "Your wife is pretty, I'd hate for anything to happen to her because you didn't take the hint to back up and stop harassing Bri." He held up another two pictures. "Lovely house, bedroom, my men are professional, she probably didn't even see either of them in your house or in the flower shop… Let that sink in Sheriff, I protect mine and I suggest you leave them alone." He pocketed the pictures and smirked. "Have a good day and the next time you are in the same vicinity of Brianna, it better because you took the proper legal measures. I may be above harming women but some of my colleagues are all about equality."


	13. Drunk

**January 23, 2012**

Bri shook out her damp hair as she stood in front of her full length mirror in nothing but her god given skin. Her grey eyes constantly criticizing every inch of her skin. From the freckle on her left thigh to the tattoo on her collarbones. "Deep breaths." She mumbled before moving towards her dresser and pulling out a pair of panties and matching bra.

"You decent?" Anthony knocked on the door before opening it slowly. "You're half decent. I can come back."

"It's fine." She shook her head as she pulled on one of the black shirts that Jax had left behind. "What's wrong? It's after midnight."

"I know but… There's a problem down stairs. I tried to handle it but it's being stubborn." He shook his head as he watched Bri shove her feet into a pair of boots and start towards the bedroom door.

"I'll handle it." She moved out of the room and swiftly down the stairs, stopping when she came upon the problem. " _Juice_?" She eyed the man who was splayed out in the middle of the large foyer, an empty tequila bottle on his chest. "Ok. I wasn't expecting this problem."

Anthony shook his head and shrugged. "What do you want me to do?"

"Get him into the guestroom bathroom. I'll undress him and put him in a bath. Get him awake." She sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "I didn't think I'd be babysitting a drunken Juice ever again."

"Gotta love a determined man." He hoisted Juice over his shoulder and started towards the guestroom. "You know I can help you out with this."

"No it's okay. I can do this." She nodded as she moved into the bathroom and turned the water on. "Just I don't know, wake him up enough to stand up slightly. I'm worried about him. He probably mixed the liquor with something. It's why he's barely there and everything is low."

"Poor man." He shook his head as he watched Bri shoulder Juice's weight. "I'll be in the living room. Shout if you need anything."

"Thanks." Bri nodded as she sat Juice on the edge of the large tub and started to undress him. "You owe me for this Juice." She mumbled as she kicked off her own boots and stepped into the water, pulling Juice into the water. "Wake up Juan."

"Sorry." Juice finally opened his eyes and looked at the brunette standing above him. "I'm sorry."

"What'd you mix with the liquor?" She splashed cold water on his face. "Huh? We may not be together but I'll be damned if Javier loses his dad to a goddamn overdose."

"Some pills." He mumbled as he wiped at the water on his face. "In my pocket…"

"You're so much smarter than this shit." She stepped out of the tub and started going through his pockets before finding a blister pack of pills. "Okay… So you decided to mix tequila with some strong ass oxys? Idiot." She shook her head as she popped the pills into the toilet and flushed them. "You're lucky to be alive right now… You'll remember none of this shit when you wake up though."

Juice shook his head as he pulled on the hem of her shirt. "Who's shirt? My shirts don't fit you like this…"

"I swiped it from Frey." She pulled away from him. "You gonna sober up? I gotta have you out before Javier wakes up in the morning for breakfast."

"I wanna see him." Juice nodded. "I miss him so much."

"If you sober up enough… I'll let you see him." Bri shrugged. "I gotta get you all sober and into bed. Alright? You can crash here."

"You're always a sucker for a drunk Juice." He smirked at her. " _Always_."

"Don't make me regret it this time." She shook her head and sighed. "Hurry up and sober up. We don't have much time."

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"Breakfast time." Bri smiled as she lifted up Javier and peppered his face with kisses. "How's my love doing? You sleep well baby? I missed all your cuddles."

"I want cereal." Javier nodded as he rested his head on his mom's shoulder. "Some fruit loops, please?"

"To think I was slaving over a hot stove to make pancakes and bacon for you and Monica but you want cold cereal." She chuckled as they walked into the kitchen. "Morning darlin'." She smiled at Jax as she watched him pour an obscene amount of sugar and creamer into his coffee. "I see you like a side of coffee with your sugar and creamer."

Jax smirked. "I need the energy kick." He took Javier from Bri and smiled at the little boy. "What's up man? You finally are awake. I thought you were gonna sleep the whole day away and I wasn't gonna get to see my favorite Javier."

"Hi." Javier smiled as he sat next to Jax and held up his dinosaur. "I got a new dino, he's cool huh? It's a Rajasaurus."

"Oh, he can say that but can't say anarchy." The man chuckled. "That's cool, can he beat up a T-Rex though?"

"Yeah!" The little boy nodded his head. "He can kick his butt! Rex is still my favorite though."

"Here babe, here are your fruit loops." Bri set a bowl and spoon on the table. "Jax, do me a favor and feed him if he doesn't do it himself. I gotta fix a plate of food, you know who is supposed to be making an appearance, if he ever wakes up."

Jax nodded as he adjusted Javier on his lap. "Alright, let's eat this cereal so we can play with some dinos in the backyard before I have to go next door and annoy your girlfriend Camryn. I have a playdate with her in a hour."

"Hey…" Juice stopped short of the kitchen table as he watched Jax feed Javier. "Hey Jax."

"Hey man." Jax nodded at the man. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Daddy!" Javier moved away from Jax and straight towards Juice. "I missed you daddy! Up! Up! Up!" He held his arms above his head, his dinosaur still in his hand. "Up!"

Juice lifted up his son and kissed his forehead, his brown eyes going back and forth between Bri and Jax, both who were smiling at him. "So, are you two a couple or something?"

"No." Jax shook his head as he stood up and shot Bri a brief look. "I'm here to kill some time before I go babysit my tiny blonde terror next door. I had to stop by and see if the good Doc here would be interested in selling me some new toys. I'm in the market for a new handgun."

He nodded as he watched Jax move out of the kitchen before he looked at Bri who was now piling bacon onto a pancake. "Thanks for last night… I don't remember much but waking up in an actual decent room was a warm welcome."

"Don't mention it." Bri shook her head as she took a bite of her food. "I made enough for you, so help yourself. There's also veggies and fruits if you want to make one of your green smoothies. I have to finish breakfast, clean up and then handle some housework. You can spend as much time with him as you want. Alright?"

"Yeah." He nodded again as he kissed his son's forehead. "I missed you Javier. So damn much. You got bigger huh? Still obsessed with dinos I see though."

"I got bigger." Javier nodded. "Camryn is my girlfriend, she has my other dino. Jacey had a baby! I didn't see him though but she had him after Cam's birthday."

"Oh, Cam is your girlfriend?" He smiled. "That's cool. I'm happy that you and her are working out and are even sharing your toys now."

"Yes! I asked Uncle Hap for permission." He nodded again and mirrored his father's priceless grin. "Let's go outside. I got a sandbox out there, it's so huge!"

"I guess we'll be back Bri." Juice smiled at the brunette. "Gonna go play in the sand."

Bri nodded. "I'm so happy that I wasted my time making a hot breakfast that only I ate." She mumbled as she finished off her breakfast. "I really should stop putting forth the effort to be a homemaker because it's not me."

"I'd beg to differ." Elijah smiled as he sat down and pulled a plate in front of him. "Anthony told me he was here. I had to see it for myself. Juice actually showing up and being a father. That's something I hadn't expected to happen until further down the line when Javier was older."

"Monica is still asleep, my poor thing is running a fever today and is just hating life." The brunette sighed and nodded. "Yeah, me too. We both know that this may not even last though. He turned up drunk and he had taken pills. It could have ended badly Elijah. What would I have told my son if his dad would've died last night from an overdose? _He was in a bad place and decided to be a fucking idiot and mix liquor and booze_." She trailed her fingers through her hair and furrowed her brow as she turned to watch Juice and Javier through the large bay window. "I just want him to have his dad in his life but I know that may not happen. I just have to be happy that there are other male figures that he'll be able to look up to."

"I'm over Monica's shit." Elijah shook his head. "Always something with her. Reminds me of you." He pulled on the brunette's hair and smirked. "You need to calm down and take shit one day at a time with Juice. No reason to work yourself all up about what ifs. Alright? Take it day by day and see how it works. If he does well today, set up another time for him to come over and hang out with Javier. It's as simple as that."

"Leave her alone." Bri swatted at Elijah's arm. "She's my little mini me, she's going to have issues every hour. Gotta love her regardless and let her work through them. I worked through them. She will too. She's a damn kid, she's feeling jealousy right now, it's in overdrive. She won't even go next door or talk to Happy, Jacey or Camryn."

He rolled his eyes and huffed. "You and her, the jealousy issues you have, astounds me sometimes because I don't think you have a damn thing to be jealous about. Your time will come and when it does, you'll sit and try to figure out why you were ever wanting someone else's life and happiness. Jacey's happiness isn't your happiness and it's not something you should want for yourself."

"Oh hush, no one asked you." She smiled at him. "Now, finish eating while I go attend to housework and the beast that is known as my laundry room. I don't know how we manage to create so many loads of laundry so damn fast. There's only three of us." She shrugged as she moved towards the dishwasher. "Before you leave, can you just empty the dishwasher and put the dirty dishes in there. I'd appreciate that so much. Thank you, I love you."

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"It was good that you spent the day with him." Bri looked at her ex and smiled. "I'm glad you are still alive. I was beginning to worry about you. I can't ever imagine having to explain to him why you aren't in his life. I want you in it."

Juice nodded as he eyed the brunette carefully, taking in the way her shorts hugged her curves and the way her tank top showed the impressions of her nipple piercings. "Yeah, I'm glad I spent the day with him too. I want to do it again. I'm gonna be busy the next two days but after that I'd love to visit with him again."

She nodded. "Yeah, well you know where we live. Shoot me a text or call before you show up and everything will be good." She braided her hair off to the side and smiled. "Stay good Juan. You're way too smart to end up dead because of this bullshit you're dealing with. Remember, my invitation to help you out is still standing, we may not be together but that doesn't mean I want to see you suffer."

"I know. You still are the bigger person." He grinned. "I'll call you when I get back to town. I promise I will be better, lay off the booze for my son and myself. Take care, alright Bri?"

Bri nodded and backed up towards the front door. "Yeah. I'll take care if you do. Remember, you have a son that needs you in his life. Keep that in the back of your mind before doing some dumb shit again. I won't always be able to take care of you Juice. One day, I'll be selfish and turn you away. I already loved you until the point of self sacrifice and I can't do that again. I'm fixing myself, learning how to love myself again and I can't let you ever bring me down again. So, I just ask that you think about Javier each and every time you go out and do something… He's going to need you in his life as he gets older and the last thing you want to do is fuck up your relationship with him because once that happens, there's never a way to truly patch that up. Don't do to him what your dad did to you… Be better."

"I'm gonna be better." Juice nodded. "I'm going to get my shit together. I just need to patch some things up with that club and fix some problems that I created along this path. I'll be here for my son. I promise you that much. Goodnight Bri. Kiss him again for me and tell him I'll see him in two sleeps."

She nodded as she opened the front door, watching as he moved down the driveway before closing the door and locking it before rushing up the stairs and into her son's room. "Cuddle time babe." She climbed into the race car bed with the little boy and yawned as he curled into her side. "Your dad said he'll see you in two sleeps… I love you Javier. Goodnight."

"Night mommy." Javier smiled as he rested his head on his mom's chest. "I love you too." He poked at her cheek as he closed his eyes and yawned. "Rajasaurus loves you too."

Bri chuckled softly. "I love him too. I will see you both when we wake up in the morning. Now let's get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." She stroked his hair lazily as she closed her eyes, trying to believe in her heart that Juice would stay true to his words of not being like his dad. She could only hope that he'd prove her and everyone wrong about what he'd end up doing and being. The only thing she truly knew was that she could no longer be his savior, instead she had to be her own.


	14. Jax & Juice

**January 25, 2012**

Bri rolled over, her hand coming into contact with a torso as she let her eyes adjust to the sunlight that was streaming into her bedroom. She had spent most of the night tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable while sparing Jax any discomfort. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep but she knew the sleep wasn't enough, by the way her body protested as she moved out of the bed. "Hate being sick."

"Morning to you to darlin'." Jax smiled at the brunette as he grabbed her hand and stopped her from moving further away from the bed. "You feeling any better babe?"

"Not really." She shook her head. "I still have a damn fever." She sat back on the bed and frowned at the man. "I'm sorry if I kept you up."

He shook his head. "I've slept in worse conditions." He pulled the brunette back up to him and wrapped his arms securely around her as he pressed his lips to her temple. "You just need some medicine and more sleep."

She nodded as she settled against the man and sighed. "I don't even know how I got sick. I am gonna blame my daughter. I think she was the last one that was sick." She laced her fingers through his and yawned. "You want anything for breakfast?"

"You're the sick one and you're the one asking if I want something for breakfast." Jax shook his head as he squeezed her hands. "No, I'm good. I don't need anything for breakfast. I'll make something for you if you need something to eat. Yeah, I have skills in the kitchen. They might be limited but I have some."

"Soup for my throat and seltzer for my stomach. I think I have some medicine for my fever in my office though." She shook her head as she kicked her sweats off her legs and tried to get comfortable again. "Why are fevers so mean? I just need to sweat this shit out."

"Anything for you." He kissed her head and rolled out of the bed. "You want me to get you anything else while I'm at it? Grab your monster? Your Javi?"

"No." Bri rolled her eyes and smirked. "Just get me the soup, seltzer and medicine and try to find my phone if you can. I'm waiting for Juice to call but I'm not really holding out for the call but then again I don't wanna miss it if he does call to see Javier. Ya know?"

He nodded. "I know what you mean. I'll be right back with your stuff." He moved out of the bedroom and slowly down the stairs, tugging on the strings of his grey sweats as he walked into the kitchen, stopping when he saw Monica sitting on the counter with Elijah. "You guys are up early."

"It's not early." Monica shook her head. "It's almost eleven."

"Well damn." Jax smirked as he hugged the tiny brunette and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad I have you my little darlin' to set me straight. I came down to make your mom soup and grab her some seltzer. I guess she's sick. Has a fever, couldn't sleep to save her own life last night and she's burning up right now."

"She's probably getting what Monica had." Elijah looked at Jax before setting Monica to her feet. "Go to your room, shower, get your dance clothes on so we can meet Kaia at the studio and start your ballet lessons again."

"I got the hint." Jax looked up at Elijah from the refrigerator. "You wanna talk to me about my intentions with Bri?"

"No." The man shook his head. "I trust that you're not gonna fuck her over." Elijah shrugged. "Make sure she takes the medicine, make sure she drinks the soup, make sure she doesn't worry about Juice. That doesn't aid in her health."

"Got it." Jax nodded. "I'll take care of her Elijah, she's in good hands."

"I know. I trust you." Elijah adjusted his suit jacket and smiled. "I'm taking Monica to ballet and I'm taking Javier with us. He likes to run around the studio and scare the little dancers with his dinosaurs."

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"When I thought about spending the entire day with you, I didn't think we'd spend half of it dealing with my ass being sick and miserable." Bri looked at Jax as she leaned on the cart as they walked down the medicine aisle of Walmart. "I thought we'd get to be cute and cuddle and talk. Not sit in the bathroom as you hold my hair back."

Jax chuckled as he wrapped an arm around the brunette's waist and kissed her neck. "Hey, at least it's due to you being sick and not because we slipped up and got knocked up." He squeezed her side as he heard her scoff and shake her head. "Shit, babe. I forgot about that. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She turned around in his arms and wrapped hers around his waist. "I can't have kids. It sucks but there's nothing I can do to change that."

He nodded as he held her tightly and kissed her head. "It's alright. We have kids, if we want one together, we can always adopt or wish for a miracle baby." He laughed as he lifted her up and set her into the cart. "Now, let's get you some medicine. You need to sleep tonight, you can't be tossing and turning like you did last night."

"I don't even wanna talk about the baby thing right now." She shook her head as she watched him browed the cold medicine. "Get something that'll make me sleepy as fuck. I need like Nyquil or something Jax." She pointed towards the shelf as she felt her phone vibrate. "Oh shit, it's Juice. He texted that he wants to come over tomorrow and see Javi."

"That's good." He dropped the medicine into the cart and smiled. "You look kinda cute. Red nose and all babe."

She smiled and touched her nose. "What? Red nose? I'm not Rudolph." She checked her reflection in her compact and sighed. "I look sick." She stood up and climbed out of the cart as she slipped her phone and mirror back into her pockets. "I'm so sad about this being shit thing but at least I'm better than I was a few hours ago."

"True." He draped an arm over her shoulders and smiled. "You're all puffy and red Bri. You still look gorgeous but you look absolutely miserable." He kissed her cheek as he dropped another box of medicine into the cart. "We're covering all of our bases right now. In case you get sicker during the night, we're covered."

Bri nodded as she pulled on Jax's hair and smirked. "Your hair is making me wanna do something new to my hair. Let's take a detour to the hair aisle. I wanna do something different, maybe cut a few inches off and call it a day."

"Lord." Jackson shook his head as he rubbed Bri's ass. "Just promise me that you're not gonna try to be a blonde and we'll be good."

She laughed and shook her head. "I'd never go blonde. There can only be one blonde in this thing we have going and you've already got dibs on it." She kissed his cheek as they moved towards the hair care aisle. "You can't peek at the color either. It's gotta be a surprise even to you. Alright Teller?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "No peeking Hohrykova."

 **January 26, 2012**

"So, how do you like it?" Bri turned around slowly and looked at Jax. "Do you love my hair or what?"

He looked at her and shrugged. "You didn't do anything to it Bri. It looks exactly like it did when you woke up this morning."

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "It's not the same. My hair is black now and a few inches shorter. You can't tell? I knew I should have went lighter and not darker." Bri sighed as she walked to Jax and pulled on the front of his shirt before kissing him softly. "I'm a true raven haired goddess."

"Looks good." He shrugged as he leaned down and kissed her, his hands dropping to her ass as he backed her up against the bedroom door. "Hate it when you start playing around and acting like a tease."

She shrugged as she looked at the clock above her vanity and furrowed her brow. "I think something is wrong. Juice was supposed to be here two hours ago." She sighed as she shook her head. "He probably just flaked huh?"

Jax shrugged as he slipped his hands into the waistband of Bri's leggings and started to push them down. "I don't know. I think he probably did flake but who knows. Maybe he's caught up with the club. He's been coming around more." He pressed feather light kisses to her neck as he felt her relax into his touch. "Then again, I would never flake on the chance to see Abel."

"Just gonna have your way with me?" She smirked as she slid her hands under his shirt and trailed her nails over his abs. "I might be okay with that."

"Not trying to have my way with you." He paused as he looked down at her and pressed a kiss to her lips. "We do need to have a serious conversation about where we're going with this though Bri… I know it hasn't been that long but I like what we have going here and I just want to know we're on the same page this time around."

"Yeah, yeah." She tugged on his shirt roughly and nodded. "Look at you, Mr. Jackson Teller is trying to get serious and settle down." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him, feeling his hands back on her ass. "We'll have this serious conversation, I also believe we're both on the same page of the same book this time around… You just know that I need some time before I put labels on anything but I do want to keep setting Jacey straight because she's getting on my last nerve with the fuckbuddy thing and you're not just a fuck buddy or lay…"

Jax nodded as he hugged the brunette and kissed her temple. "Just tell her all your feelings and she'll lay off you. You know it'll be a warm welcome and much needed distraction from what's happening with Kol. You can be the perfect distraction for her, so you know. Go bug her and let her know everything that's going on between us. Alright?"

Bri nodded as she kissed his neck and smiled. "Yeah, alright. I'll be a distraction to her."

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Bri shook her head as she walked into the police station. She had no clue if her hunches were correct but she had to take the chance. She had to find out why Juice had bailed on meeting up with Javier. She knew he was unreliable but she also knew how excited he was about getting to spend the day with their son. So when he hadn't turned up, she tried her best to push him out of her mind but had ultimately failed and as soon as Jax had left her to attend to business next door she had hopped in her car and driven to the one person she knew would have the answers she was looking for. "Eli."

"Brianna Hohrykova." Eli smirked at the young woman as he stood behind the desk. "What brings you to Charming?"

"Looking for Juice." She tapped on the desk and shrugged. "I know he has to be locked up around here somewhere. I know you have to have him in custody…"

"As intelligent as you are gorgeous." He chuckled. "He's in custody. I can hold him for up to two days. I have some evidence that points to him as a suspect in a current case."

She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Figures you'd be pulling some bullshit out of your ass to get him to flip on his club. That's the aim of your game and mischief right? Get some shit out of him and use it against the Sons." She tossed her hair behind her shoulders and sighed. "I'm gonna call my lawyer, she's gonna show up here and get him out. I don't care how much it costs or what trouble it brings to me. You interfered with him spending quality time with his son. My son needs his dad in his life as much as possible right now."

Eli shook his head. "This isn't your issue to get involved in. He made a deal with me and I'm gonna hold him to it. If he wasn't ashamed of himself or his family he would have told his club straight up about it."

Bri scoffed. "Okay, so his dad is black. Big fucking deal. The guys don't care who his dad is. They don't care what he is. All they care about is if he's loyal to them and the club. If he does what's best for them. They're his family now."

"You know about his dad?" He looked at the brunette and huffed. "Thorough aren't you?"

"I do know about his dad." The brunette shrugged. "Let him go or you will regret it."

"Threatening an officer. I already had your little suit threaten me and my wife." Eli smiled smugly at the brunette. "Yet, here I am. Still doing my job, my wife is still doing hers."

Bri nodded. "It's not a fucking threat. It's a promise. If he's not out by midnight. I will make you regret this decision. Mark my word. I don't care what I have to do but you're not gonna torture Juice and you're sure as hell not taking him away from my son." She turned on her heel and started towards the door. "I'll be back Eli and next time we cross paths, you better hope you're a better draw than I am… No one messes with my family. I don't care if he's not my boyfriend, fiance, husband. He's the father of my child and I'm not gonna sit back and let you destroy him. I need him whole so he can be a dad. I don't need you breaking him down just for some fucking case. Cops never give a fuck about the lives they ruin to catch the bad guys. You should really start to think before you act."


	15. Talks, Adoption, Vibes

**January 30, 2012**

Aleksandr trekked through the Fortress on a mission. A mission to get to the bottom of why his nine year old granddaughter was slowly but surely pulling away from everyone besides her brother, mom and the normal suits that hung around. He shook his head, trying to figure out how Monica could be so much like her mom, so difficult, so jealous, so easily thrown off track and twisted upside down. "Monica."

"I'm asleep." Monica looked at the man and shook her head as she tried to curl back into a ball in the middle of the large beanbag chair. "I can't talk right now."

"Don't have a choice." He grabbed the back belt loop of her jeans and hoisted her up off the bag and into his arms. "I'm here to see you, talk to you, catch up, it's been awhile." He dropped onto the sofa and situated the tiny brunette on his lap before pushing her hair out of her face. "You wanna tell me why you're letting yourself get all worked up over having a new brother?"

She huffed as she crossed her arms and turned her head away from the man. "I don't wanna talk about it. I don't feel like talking about it. I already told my mom and the therapist that she took me too."

"You don't need a therapist if you just talk to someone other than your mom. She may understand why you're being the way you are but you gotta let others understand it too." He grabbed her chin and turned her head back to face him. "You know I won't stand for any bullshit Monica. You know I'm gonna get the truth out of you whether I have to beat your ass or not."

Monica scowled at her grandfather before sighing. "I don't want another brother! It's bad enough that I have to share my mom with Javier and my dad with Camryn, now I have to share him with Kol too! I don't like it at all."

Aleksandr nodded. "Guess what? Having Kol makes Happy and Jacey both very happy. That's all that's important." He smiled. "You want your dad and Aunt to be happy, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah but who's gonna make me happy?"

"Yourself." He shrugged. "You gotta stop letting that green little monster make you unhappy. It's not doing you any good Monica. You're looking like a little mess, just like how your mom gets when she's jealous. Getting jealous isn't going to make Camryn, Javier or Kol go away. Your parents have enough love in their hearts to give to you all equally."

"Fine." Monica mumbled and nodded. "I'm gonna make myself happy. I can't help it if I want attention all of the time."

Aleksandr chuckled and shook his head. "I know you can't but you can't shut everyone out because you want attention. It just makes them want to pay less attention to you. No one wants to be around a little green monster, no matter how cute you may be. The jealous thing is a big no no. You gotta ignore it. Camryn and Javier love you. And whenever you put in the effort to meet Kol, he'll love you just as much as you do." He trailed his fingers through her hair and before braiding it back out of her face. "We need to get you a hair cut Monica."

"I know! I'm trying not to be a brat." She huffed once more as she ran her hand over her braid and shook her head. "I don't wanna cut my hair, I want it to be really long."

"Try harder." He set her to her feet before he stood up. "Too cute to be so damn jealous and angry at the world. You're nine, you're supposed to be playing soccer, doing ballet, being a cheerleader or whatever it is that you do these days."

"I dance." Monica rolled her eyes. "You missed my recital on the twenty-fourth." She shrugged as she dropped onto the bean bag chair. "Everyone missed my recital except for mom and Javi."

"Can't be bitter if you never invited people." He pulled her back to her feet and dropped down to see eye to eye with the girl. "Lose the bad attitude, you hear me? I'm over the self-pity, the jealousy, the anger. You're nine, be happy. You have a mom who loves you, a dad who loves you, a family who loves you. I'm gonna be sticking around for awhile, so I suggest you learn how to adjust the attitude, or I'll adjust it for you. Just like I did with your mom. Ask her about _the belt_ when you get a chance."

"I'm losing it." She nodded as she wrapped her arms around the man's neck. "I'm sorry, alright?"

He nodded as he stood up and hugged the brunette to his chest. "I know." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "I just gotta make sure that my girls are good. I need you to be happy. I need you being a part of the family. You can't just run away from it. It doesn't do anything good. Ask your mom. She always ran away and it made things worse than it made them better. Think about how Javi, Cam and Happy feel? You think they like that you're ignoring them?"

"Probably annoyed." Monica shook her head and sighed. "I'll apologize to them. I really will. Can I ask you something?"

Aleksandr nodded as he walked out of the living room and towards the kitchen. "Go ahead, ask me anything you want."

"Can you make Elijah stay here?" She rubbed his cheeks and smiled as he set her down on the counter next to her mom. "I don't want him to be gone all the time anymore. It makes me super sad."

He looked between Monica and Bri before nodding. "Yeah, I'll make him stay in Oakland for you baby." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "You get your suit back at your side, 24/7. I promise you that. You'll only have to share him with his girlfriend Kaia."

"Kaia is cool. She's my dance teacher now that I moved up a class." Monica smiled brightly before looking at her mom. "I promised Grandpa that I'd lose my attitude and stop being a little green monster."

"She also promised to apologize to Happy, Cam, Javi and anyone else that her behavior has pissed off." He tapped on his granddaughter's forehead and smirked. "Or I'll have to get the belt out."

Bri shuddered slightly. "I hate the belt. It's rough and will tear your ass up. He used it on me and I couldn't sit on my ass for a full week." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "I hope that you really do shed your attitude and love on your family again." She tugged on Monica's braid and smiled. "He used to do my hair like that too when it got too long."

"He told me to cut it!" Monica wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. "Never gonna cut my hair."

"Don't listen to him. I love all your long brown hair baby." Bri smiled. "Go to your room and put some shoes on, we still gotta get supplies for your project. Make it quick."

Aleksandr watched Monica skip out of the kitchen before looking at Brianna. "I hope it works out. I hate her little attitude. I thought I was only gonna have to deal with that shit once, with _you_. Now I'm going through it with her. You two have way too much to be getting jealous to the point where you're ruining relationships. You hear me?" He grabbed the brunette's chin and forced her to meet his eyes. "You're her mom, set a new example. I know you're going through a lot of shit but you gotta find your center, what makes you happy and use that shit to your advantage. Okay? You hear me _Katarzyna_?"

" _Da, ya ponimayu_." She nodded. "Yeah, I understand dad. I've been working on getting to that point. I promise you that and I've been trying my hardest to not be in my little attitudes and moods around her. I don't want her to be like me. I want her to be a kid, to be carefree and happy. I _need_ her to be a kid."

He let go of her chin and nodded. "Good, I'll be sticking around for a few days. I'll be watching you two closely. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find Elijah and give him his reassignment, Oakland. I don't care if he has a problem with Happy or Jacey, he's gonna get over it and be around for Monica."

 **February 4, 2012**

Bri laid as still as she could on the table, her steely grey eyes examining each and every piece of artwork that was on the walls. _Another_ _tattoo_. She thought to herself as she watched the artist begin the shading. Eight hours in and she knew she could continue on for another eight hours, maybe even more.

"Meaning behind the ink?" The artist looked at the brunette. "Girls like you, don't have this many gorgeous tattoos unless they have some meaning behind them."

"This piece?" She looked at him and smiled. "It's gonna be a huge reminder of what I love best about myself. I'm a dreamer, I'm both delicate and tough… Dreamcatcher, surrounded by roses. It sounds like a cliche but it works for me." She shrugged. "Now, the snake? The skulls as the beads on the leather cords hanging from the dreamcatcher. It's a family trademark, skulls and snakes are our thing. My best friend also has a dreamcatcher, not as big and over the top but it's gorgeous on her."

He nodded. "At least you aren't like my usual female clientele. Freshly turned eighteen, asking for butterflies, flowers and anchors." He chuckled and shook his head. "Plus, I get to admire the rest of your artwork while I'm working on this."

She laughed. "My first tattoo is the one that's under my current ink on my back. I was in an abusive relationship and the guy decided to mark me with this god awful tattoo." She shook her head. "It's some nice artwork huh?" She smiled to herself as she turned her eyes back on the artwork on the wall, a little brunette ballerina. "How much are you willing to take to part with the ballerina? My daughter is a ballerina, she'd go crazy if I brought this home for her."

"It's yours." He shrugged. "As long as it's going to a great home, I can't take money for it. Plus, if you look around she's a little out of her environment. Her name is Monica."

Bri looked at him. " _Monica?_ That's a beautiful name. I'll be happy to put her in a good environment." She smiled. "Thank you."

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Her most and least favorite place to be was the clinic. She loved helping women, loved making sure they were healthy. Bri loved it even more when she got to follow a woman's pregnancy from beginning to end. There was nothing better than delivering a baby. Seeing the look on the mom's face the first time she held the child, the tears. The happy tears, the smiles, the crying and the congratulatory hugs. It's what made her decision to go from cosmetic surgery to obstetrics, gynecology and general medicine all worth it.

"Dr. Hohrykova, I'm so sorry to pull you in on a Sunday evening but it was an emergency." Natalie looked at the brunette. "Were you busy?"

"Just treating myself to an early birthday tattoo session." Bri smiled at the blonde as she sat in the chair carefully, mindful of the fresh ink on the outside of her right leg. "What's happening that's an emergency?"

"I was closing up for the day but this girl, she's so young. She pounded on the door and I let her in. She's fourteen and pregnant Bri. I couldn't let her go…" She shook her head. "I knew you'd have a solution."

Bri nodded as she stood back up. "Fourteen, pregnant. Does she want an abortion? How far along is she?"

"Almost two months. No she doesn't want an abortion. Her boyfriend dropped her off and told her to get rid of it. She's Catholic, doesn't believe in terminating. She wants to carry and put the baby up for adoption." Natalie moved through the double doors and towards the exam room where she had the young teen. "Aracely, this is Dr. Hohrykova."

Aracely looked at the blonde before her eyes moved on to the brunette. "You're a doctor? You don't look like a doctor."

"What should a doctor look like?" Bri smirked as she moved to the sink and washed her hands. "Fourteen, pregnant, a douche of a boyfriend. I hoped you dumped him when he dropped you off here. Your parents know about it?"

"I told them and they suggested adoption and I agree with it. I just don't know any of the procedures for finding a family…" The raven-haired teen frowned as she looked down at her hands in her lap. "I was hoping you had pamphlets or something."

Bri nodded. "We do have information, we also have a social worker that specializes in finding a family for the baby." She smiled at the younger woman. "I know a couple that's interested in adopting a child. I can set up a meeting through the social worker if you're interested."

"Are they a loving couple?" Aracely looked up at Bri and smiled. "I just want the baby to go to a family that'll love him or her."

"They are a loving couple. Successful. One's a business owner, the other is a private body guard. I've known the woman my whole life and the guy, I've known him for a shorter time but he's family too." The brunette smiled. "I wouldn't recommend them if they weren't loving and good people."

Natalie looked between the brunettes and smiled. "I'll grab the information. Bri, it'll only take me like two minutes."

"Alright." Bri smiled at her nurse. "I know it'll work out. Just keep the faith Aracely. You keep your appointments and you'll be putting a healthy baby into the lives of a deserving couple."

Aracely smiled before her face fell. "I don't think my family can afford all of the upcoming doctor visits."

"It'll be all explained in the information packet. Some couples are willing to provide financial assistance, cover all medical bills and sometimes even extra compensation." Bri nodded. "She'll give you the information, take my number and we'll be in touch." Bri pulled her gloves off after wiping off the brunette's stomach. "Here, your first pictures of the baby. You can take them or you can leave them. I'll be in my office making a call to the social worker. Have Natalie find me if you need me."

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Bri moved through her backyard, after watching the floodlights turn on and illuminate the expansive space. She knew it had to be someone she knew, on the account that the only ways into the backyard were either through the house or through the side gate, the one that had a security code that only a select few knew. She held up her gun, clearing the patio before stepping off and onto the grass as she saw a figure stumbling towards her. "Juice." She shook her head, slipping the gun into the waistband of her sleep shorts as she heard the door open behind her. "It's alright, I can handle it."

"He's in bad shape." Nik moved to her sister's side and shook her head. "Drunk, I can smell the weed and pussy from here."

"Yeah, I know." The brunette sighed as she watched her ex come to a stop five feet away. "Juice, you can't keep doing this shit. It's not fair to me…" She moved towards him and pulled on the front of his black hoody, before letting go and watching him stagger. "Nik, let's get him inside and into the bedroom off the kitchen."

Nik nodded, moving to Juice and Bri as she and her sister shouldered the man's weight. "He's so fucked up but in love. He keeps coming back to you."

"Shut up." Bri mumbled as they walked back into the house and towards the spare room. "We just gotta get him to bed and he can sleep this shit off. I'll set out some aspirin and water. One day, I won't be able to help him but shit, I can't give up on trying to make him better for Javier. Ya know." She pushed Juice onto the bed, moving his legs onto the bed before pulling off his heavy motorcycle boots. "You gotta grow the fuck up Juan Carlos… I can't be your savior forever." She trailed her fingers through her hair and looked down at him. "Get better for your kid if not for yourself."

"I- It's all falling down." Juice mumbled. "I'm falling down-." He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. "I'm sorry Kat."

"Go to sleep. I'll bring you something to keep your stomach settled and to ease your hangover in the morning." Bri shook her head as she and Nik walked out of the room. "I know what you're thinking. You'd throw in the towel. One more chance and I'm wiping my hands of him." She wrapped her arms around the blonde. "It's not fair to me, Javi, Juice and it's really not fair to Jax." She sighed. "It'll get better." She whispered to herself as she buried her face in Nik's neck. "It's going to get better. I have nothing but high hopes for this all."

Nik smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it'll all get better with time. It always works out that way for us." She wrapped her arms tightly around the brunette and kissed her head. "Here's to nothing but great vibes from here on out."


	16. Birthday, Lake, Fort

**February 14, 2012**

The dirty thirty. The big 3-0. Another year closer to death and Brianna was spending the day pretty much alone. She had breakfast with Jax, spent a few hours with her children before they were both swept away by Elijah and Aleksandr, leaving her in her home, by herself. She sighed, tapping her fingers on the screen of her phone as she reread the birthday text that Jacey had sent her before turning the phone off and tossing it across the room. She hadn't wanted a text, all she wanted was to spend time with friends and have fun but instead, she was forced to find her own entertainment. "Bullshit."

She pulled her laptop from the side of the sofa and opened it up, opening her browser to navigate to her bank's website. She already knew how much money she had to spend but she still liked the reminder and the zeros. "What can I buy today?" She tapped on her chin, her grey eyes going to an banner at the top of the page. "Home loan…" She mumbled as she looked at the house on the ad. "I could use a new house, no offense to you Fortress but I'm thinking a small and cute beach house."

"You should really stop talking to yourself." Anthony dropped onto the sofa next to Bri and smirked at her. "So, what devious plan is the birthday girl up to now?"

"I am buying a beach house." She stated confidently as she stood up from the sofa. "You're gonna be my driver for the day since you're not doing anything else. I already know Nik is on a business trip because one of the strippers in L.A got injured by a patron." She smirked back at him as she pulled him back to his feet. "I'll buy you food and foot the gas bill."

He shook his head and smirked. "If it's not one Hohrykova dragging me shopping it's another." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled. "Oh, you're gonna pay for gas? I'm gonna be driving my truck then. It's a beast of a machine and a gas guzzler."

"Or we can take your Audi so we're not making stops every two hours to gas up. This place is up the coast. South Lake Tahoe." She grabbed her purse from the hook by the door and smiled. "I may not have gotten my ultimate Vegas birthday trip but at least I can drop some cash and buy myself something nice."

"Of course, of course." He walked her out to his Audi and smiled. "You know, I've been thinking about that whole adoption thing you brought to me and Nik. I'm really down for it. I wanna be a dad, I want a kid. I don't mind helping that Aracely girl out. She seems like good people, plus her kid is half white and half Mexican. Hello, Nik is white and I'm Mexican."

Bri rolled her eyes as she got into the car. "I'm glad you're down for it. Now, we just gotta see if Nik is down for it. It's a great opportunity and everything. To be a parent and raise a child."

"She's down for it. We were discussing it before she left for work." Anthony pulled the Audi out of the driveway and steered it towards the highway. "Let's talk about this more when she gets back."

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"So, a four hour drive and you researching houses for sale on the way up. I say this is truly a impulse purchase you're about to make." Anthony looked between Bri and the massive lake house they were standing in front of. "It's not even a beach house."

Bri shrugged. "It's a beach house, there's sand somewhere down there." She trailed her fingers through her hair before adjusting her shorts. "It's amazing, right? It's like the fortress but in lake house form. I mean, I promised him it would be smaller but fuck, this house is gorgeous and I can afford it. It'll have room for the lot of us if we all want to come up here."

He shook his head as he watched a Range Rover pull behind his Audi. "Oh, I can tell this guy is a prick already." He rested his hand on the small of Bri's back. "He's gonna try to fast talk you Bri."

"Well, thank God that I have my handsome husband Anthony next to me." She smirked at the man. "Huh, baby? We're just a newlywed couple looking to buy a vacation home in South Lake Tahoe… We got the money, you have the negotiating skills. It'll work."

Anthony shook his head as he grabbed Bri's hand. "You owe me for this. Wait until I tell Nik that you made me pretend to be your husband." He tugged on the ends of her hair and looked at the guy approaching. "Hello."

"Hey, I'm Michael." The man shook Anthony's hand before doing the same to Bri. "You must be Brianna."

"Yeah." Bri nodded. "Thanks for meeting us on such a short notice. It was a spontaneous trip, saw this home and pestered my husband about it. Isn't that right Anthony?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's right. We pulled over, she made the call. Now we just want to see inside of the home because it's already impressed us from the outside alone." He flashed the man a grin. "I'm Anthony by the way."

"Nice to meet you Anthony." Michael smiled. "Let's go right in. I assume you already know the asking price. It's three and a half million but the house has been sitting for a little while so the owners are willing to go a little lower."

"Yeah, I'm glad it's negotiable." Anthony nodded. "I really want to get my love here this house. She deserves it but I'm thinking about long term costs. I want to get the house for her and I know she's going to want to furnish it."

"I have expensive taste." Bri shrugged as they entered the house. "I love it! Ant, look at the gorgeous ceiling. Sun light."

"That she does." Anthony smirked as he dropped Bri's hand. "This is it, this is your house babe. It has you written all over it."

Bri nodded. "Yeah, it is. I'll take it."

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"Happy birthday." Jax wrapped his arms around Bri's waist and kissed her cheek. "You're getting better with age."

Bri rolled her eyes and turned around in his arms. "Thank you, _old man_." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips. "What'd you get me for my birthday? Huh? Huh? Huh!?"

"Something." He shrugged as he pulled her out of the kitchen and towards the living room. "It's nothing over the top but it's something you can appreciate." He turned her around and smiled. "It's a pillow fort with snacks and a movie. I remember it was your favorite thing ever when we did it the first time."

"Babe." The brunette smiled widely as she pulled the man towards the fort. "Come on, let's get in it right now! This is perfect."

He laughed as he kicked off his sneakers and crawled into the fort behind the brunette. "Someone is excited right now." He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself right now. I know it's late and your birthday is almost over but I had to at least do something for you Bri."

"I'm super excited." She kissed him and smiled. "It's a cute gesture. That you remember something from a few years back when we were both kinda stoned and drunk and decided to build a pillow fort and fuck in it."

Jax nodded as he pulled the brunette on top of him and palmed her ass roughly. "It's bringing back nothing but amazing memories." He slipped his hands under the hem of her shorts and rubbed her ass before pulling his hands away. "I missed you and this."

"I missed you too." She sat up and positioned himself over his crotch as she pulled her large shirt over her head. "You've been quite the busy man."

He nodded as he ran his hands over her nipples and pulled roughly at her piercings. "Still can't get over the piercings. They're perfect on you." He sat up and sucked her left nipple into his mouth. "Looks like you're gonna get birthday sex."

"Good." She looked down at him. "I need a good fuck on my birthday." She trailed her fingers up and down the side of his neck and smiled. "I need you Jax."

Jax smirked as he rolled them over and stared down into Bri's grey eyes. "I'm gonna give you what you need." He palmed her breasts roughly as he moved slightly against her. "It's been awhile."

She nodded as she pushed his shirt over his head and placed kisses to his chest. "I need more skin on skin contact baby." She wrapped her legs around him and smirked. "I'm pleading with you Jackson."

He pushed back on his knees and looked at the brunette before pulling her flimsy panties off her legs, his hands brushing over the new ink on her leg. "It looks gorgeous." He pressed a kiss to her lower stomach and smiled as he rid himself of his jeans. "You're perfect."

She nodded and smiled. "I want you. So, so, so badly."

He nodded as he pressed a kiss to her pussy before trailing his tongue between her slick folds, letting out a low groan at the taste of her. "You're ready?" He looked up at her, repeating his motions a few more times before moving up onto his knees and draping her legs over his hips as he pushed roughly into her.

Bri gasped, letting out a barely audible moan at the sudden intrusion. She had been with him plenty of times but this time felt different, less detached and more involved, filled with raw emotion. It felt like he could read her mind and tell exactly what she needed from him. "Don't just stop… Keep it going." She smirked up at him.

Jax nodded, picking up the pace as he grabbed the brunette's hips roughly, his fingertips digging into her flesh as he delivered what she wanted. Rough and fast. "You sure you want it this way? Not slow and sensual like last time?"

She shook her head as she dug her nails into his forearms. "Rough, fast, hard… I don't need it to be slow or sensual right now Jax. I can feel your pent up anger, work it all out."

He leaned down and pressed a rough kiss to the brunette's pouty lips before pulling back to look at her as he slammed into her, working through the anger. "Just let me know if it gets to be too much for you babe."

She nodded as she looked up at him, her grey eyes filled with lust as she tightened her legs around his waist and pulled him to her. "I fucking love this Jax."

Jax nodded as he continued his pace, stopping abruptly at the sound of glass breaking. "What the fuck?" He looked down at Bri before covering her mouth as he pulled out of her and passed his shirt to her. "Put it on and stay here. I'm going to go check it out."

Bri huffed as she pulled the shirt on and looked at Jax as he pulled on his boxers and jeans. "I'm gonna kill whoever interrupted us."

He leaned down and kissed Bri's forehead. "I'm going to be right back. Don't leave alright? Stay here, I got this." He held up his gun and smirked. "I'm serious Brianna." He watched her nod before he walked off towards where the sound had originated. Pausing, to watch as a shadow stumbled across the kitchen floor. "Hands up!" He pointed the gun at the intruder's head and chambered a bullet. "What the fuck are you doing in here!?"

"Jax?" The man turned around, staring right down the barrel of the gun. "What are you doing here?"

"Jesus fucking Christ." Jax lowered the gun and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. "Juice? What are you doing breaking in? Why didn't you just use the front door?"

"I wanted to surprise her." Juice held up the flowers. "I still knew the back gate codes and the doors weren't even locked. I busted the fucking vase."

He shook his head. "You should've called first."

"What're you doing here Jax?" Juice eyed Jax carefully before shaking his head and dropping the flowers on the counter. "You're fucking my girl? You're fucking _my_ Brianna? Huh Jax? Is that what brothers do to each other now?"

Jax rolled his eyes. "It's not like that. We fell asleep watching a movie." He shrugged. "Plus, she's not yours. You dumped her remember? Left her, your son because you can't handle the fucking stress of a family and the club."

"You don't know shit Jax." Juice shook his head as he clenched his jaw. "I left because I didn't want to drag her down with the shit I was going through. Didn't fucking give you a right to show face and take her from me!"

"I didn't take her from you. She isn't yours." He dragged a hand down his face as he looked carefully at Juice. "You're drunk. Go home, sleep it off, call her then come over."

"Jax, babe." Bri's voice floated through from the hallway.

"Brianna, go back to bed." Jax turned to see the brunette walking into kitchen, his white shirt doing nothing to hide the fact she was naked beneath it. "I got this handled."

"I knew you were fucking her." Juice growled as he pushed past Jax and stalked towards Bri. "You're fucking him! Him? Out of all the guys you could've gone out and found? You chose to go find one of my fucking brothers Brianna?"

Bri shook her head as she looked at Juice. "Calm down." She rolled her eyes. "Why do you care who I fuck or don't fuck? I'm nothing to you, I'm just your son's mother."

"You take care of me every time I show up here drunk." He pushed the brunette up against the wall behind her. "Every fucking time. You never turn me away."

"I don't do that shit for _you_. I do it for Javier. To know that his dad is gonna be around for another fucking day and won't kill himself on the highway." She shoved at his chest. "You have no fucking right to be pissed off Juan Carlos. We're not together. You ended shit. You didn't want me, you didn't love me the way I loved you. We weren't fucking meant to be. Get it through your head. I moved on, you need to do the same."

He shook his head as he pinned Bri back against the wall before feeling Jax pull him away roughly. "Have fun with that _slut_ Jax. She'll just end up going back to Kozik the moment shit with you gets bad. Dumb bitch is a homie hopper."

Jax cocked back and sent his fist into Juice's face. "You're not gonna disrespect her, your son's mother in her house or in front of me ever fucking again. Just because you're bitter and miserable because she's not on your dick anymore doesn't give you the right to call her any fucking name that isn't hers." He shoved Juice towards the back door and opened it. "Now fucking leave before I break every club rule and put a bullet between your eyes."

"Watch your back." Juice spit at Jax's feet before backing out of the door and slamming it shut.

"You good?" Jax moved towards Bri and pulled her into a tight hug. "He's a fucking asshole." He kissed her forehead as he stroked the back of her head. "Let's go back to the fort, I'll let you be the big spoon."

Bri laughed as she pulled back and wiped at her face. "I'd love that. I like being the big spoon." She smiled up at him as she grabbed his hands. "Thanks for that. Punching him, defending me. It was awesome."

He smirked as he lifted her up and carried her back into the living room and straight into the fort. "He killed my boner." He laughed as he felt the brunette settle in behind him and drape her arm and leg lazily over him. "You still all hot and bothered?"

She shook her head. "No. I just wanna lay here with you and go to sleep now. I already know how much hell he's gonna try to raise over this. We're going to need all the rest we can get to deal with that man's idiocy."

"Good idea." Jax turned around and nodded as he pulled the brunette against him. "Goodnight Bri. Sorry the jackass ruined five minutes of your amazing day." He kissed her lips and smirked. "See you when you wake up."

"Yeah, see you when you wake up." She smiled as she rested her head on his chest. "Goodnight Jax. Sweet dreams."

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 **so well, Juice knows about that for real now. :)  
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	17. Kat, Bri, Milk

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 _I still love the people I have loved, even if I cross the street to avoid them._

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 **February 20, 2012**

Six days, six days since Juice had find out that Jax and Bri were sleeping together. Six days for him to hole up in the cheapest motel he could find in the county. One hundred and forty-four hours for him to replay their whole relationship in his mind, over and over again. From the time they met to the time he dumped her, watching her heart break for what seemed liked the hundredth time at his hands. She had moved on, it hadn't even been three months, more like two months but he couldn't blame her. All he could do was blame himself.

Juice rolled over onto his back and looked up at the watermarks scattered across the tiles and sighed. He needed to get the image of Bri and Jax out of his head. He needed it gone and was willing to do whatever to make it happen. He rolled back over onto his stomach and buried his face into the pillows, trying to think of a quick fix to a long term problem. "What would Kat do?" He mumbled as he closed his eyes.

" _It's Ka-tar-zuh-nuh." The brunette laughed at her boyfriend's attempt to pronounce her full first name. "Just give it up Juan Carlos, just call me Kat."_

 _He nodded as he grabbed her hands and pulled her onto his lap. "Okay, Kat. Is that what you would do if I had a difficult name to pronounce? Call me by a nickname?"_

" _Pretty much, yeah." She giggled and shook her head. "It's better than disrespecting someone and butchering their name each time I try to pronounce it. You hear my accent, I'm surprised I can get by with certain words."_

" _You do have a point." He kissed her cheek and smiled. "You're just full of commonsense."_

He shook the brief memory out of his head. It wasn't the one he wanted his mind to drift to. He needed a memory with more substance, more happiness, a memory that would give him hope that he hadn't lost the gorgeous brunette completely to his brother yet. "Come on Bri, what would you do?" He flipped back onto his back and grabbed the blunt that was in the ashtray beside him and lit it, bringing it up to his full lips.

" _You're not doing that quite right." Bri shook her head as she watched Juice struggle to put the glider together. "You could've just bought one, one that was already assembled."_

 _He shrugged. "It's not that hard. I told you I'm good with putting shit together."_

" _I'm still waiting for you to prove that to me though babe." She rubbed her belly and laughed. "I don't think your son believes you quite yet either."_

" _Doubting me already?" He poked Bri's belly with a screwdriver and smiled. "I don't like that one bit. I think he should have faith in me, we are both males."_

 _She rolled her eyes as she eased herself to the floor. "I have faith in you though, really I do. If we could fix us. Fix what we broke years ago, then I know you're capable of putting together the glider." She kissed his cheek and smiled. "If not, we can always go to Babies R Us and buy one that's already together."_

He nodded as he tapped the ash off his blunt and smiled. "Yeah, we can fix anything as long as we work together."

 **.**

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 **.**

 **.**

"I started seeing someone new. Well, he's not exactly knew. I slept with him when I first got back to the states. When I came back for Jacey and after I ran into Juice." Bri spoke as she looked at the urn sitting on the mantelpiece in her office. "He's amazing... The kids love him, I love him. I just need to get my shit together."

"I haven't seen you talk to that thing since you first got it." Aleksandr smiled at the brunette as he closed the office door behind him. "I came to talk. We really haven't had the proper chance to sit down and talk. Get everything you're going through out in the open."

She nodded as she sat down in front of the fireplace and looked at her dad. "I don't know what's going on to be honest. I mean, I can get the basics down, I'm thirty, two kids, two different dads, multiple failed relationships… I was trying my hardest to blame myself for all of the relationship trouble you know? They didn't want me, so there _has_ to be something wrong with _me._ That type of shit right. Then I realized, I just picked two shitty people that didn't love me the same as I loved them. Juice and Dani didn't deserve me."

"But Jax does?" He cocked an eyebrow at Bri as he sat down next to her. "Tell me about it. Yeah? What's it about him this time around that has you so sure it's going to be different than the last time?"

"He treats me like I'm a Queen." She smiled as she looked at her hands, twisting her rings around her fingers as she spoke. "Like, it just feels so different, it doesn't feel like we're using each other. It did the first time. I was using him to piss off Juice, he was using me to get through the shit with his ex… I still caught feelings for him though, back then but I shook it off because I had this chance at being with my first love again, making it work, getting the happy ending that I had thought about since I met him. It was always requiring so much effort to keep up the relationship… I didn't even notice it until Jax came back into the picture. It's just effortless with him, it just fucking works."

"Thank God." He chuckled. "You're finally getting your sense. Do you know how badly we all wanted to step into the relationship and shake some sense into you?" He shook his head. "We could all see it wasn't working, that it was draining you. Then there was the whole thing with wanting a new baby. A baby wasn't going to save you guys. It would have made shit worse Bri."

"I know, I know." She groaned and covered her face. "I can't believe how stupid I was to want another kid with him… I got caught up in the whole fate aspect of it all. You know me dad. I thought he was it, endgame. I didn't even think I'd ever see him again so when I ran into him at the clubhouse, I thought for sure it was fate telling us we were gonna get back together and be better than before. I should've jumped ship at the first sign of trouble. I shouldn't even gotten pregnant by him at all. I'm thankful for Javier and I love him to death but you know what I mean. I shouldn't have let my fantasies cloud the reality."

Aleksandr smiled, pulling the brunette into his side as he kissed her temple. "You're doing good Brianna. Just keep moving forward, stop being so closed off. If Jax is the one you want, then you let him in, fully let him in. You can't push him away, you have to keep him in the loop. Also, stop being a goddamn brat and go love on your Jacey. She needs you. I know you need her but she needs you more…"

Bri nodded. "I'm letting him in, slowly but surely. I'm gonna open myself fully up to Jackson. He's the one I want and I can finally see that now that my head isn't up my ass." She chuckled and nodded. "I'm not being a brat. I'll go see her, him, them, the four of them. I just fucking suck with this you know. It's tough and I know it's selfish of me to withdraw from them but it just feels easier than dealing with my problems head on."

"You're thirty now, time to stop running and face your problems head on." He stood up slowly and helped Bri to her feet. "I know it's easier to run but what makes you a great person is your ability to face and embrace diversity. You may not like what's happening to Jacey and her family but this isn't about what you like or what makes you comfortable. This is about being there for them, because this is their problem and they need their family and friends on their side. You understand me?"

"Yeah, dad I understand you." She smiled up at him before hugging him tightly. "Thanks for the advice. It's easier to talk to you than to talk to that urn, that's for sure."

"Well, your mom never was one to talk back when you got all emotional." Aleksandr smiled at her before tapping on the urn. "It's pretty much like having her around, isn't it?"

Bri rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah it really is like having her around still." She crossed her arms and looked at the ornate urn and shook her head. "Okay, let's go before she sends her ghost to haunt us for talking about her."

 **February 25, 2012**

"Javi Baby." Bri scooped her son up and kissed his face as she spun around. "I missed your face so so much babe!"

Javier laughed and shook his head. "I missed you too mama!" He kissed her and flashed her a big grin. "I got a new dino! 'Lijah bought me a tri-triceratops."

"Look at you! You said it baby!" She looked at him before kissing his cheek and putting him back on his feet before she moved to her daughter. "Come her meanie face! I missed your beautiful face Monkey." She picked the nine year old up and kissed her nose. "Did you have fun?"

Monica nodded as she rested her head on her mom's shoulder. "Yeah, I had fun. Elijah got me this cool new camera, it's like my polaroid one but shaped like Hello Kitty!" She smiled as she pulled back to look at her mom. "I already took a whole lot of pictures for my picture wall."

Bri smiled as she watched Elijah and Kaia walk into the house. "Thanks for taking them for the day. They are worn out and look happy." She trailed her fingers through Monica's hair and nodded. "I think my beauty is gonna be out soon."

Elijah smiled. "It's no problem at all. You know we love Javi and Moni." He placed a shopping bag on the sofa. "It's the rest of their things. Kaia and I went overboard with spoiling the two of them. We couldn't help ourselves."

Kaia grinned as she kissed Javier's head. "I really had fun learning about all the dinos at the museum. He's an intelligent little guy. He knew more about the dinos and their names than the girl who was our guide."

"That's my little man." Bri smiled proudly. "He eats, breathes, sleeps dinos." She nodded as she looked towards her son. "He's an expert on them. He's getting quite the collection. He wants a new one every time."

"It's amazing. He talks so well." The brunette nodded. "I'll be right back. I have to use the restroom."

Bri nodded before looking at Elijah and smacking him upside the head. "You are an idiot if I've ever seen one Elijah."

Elijah rubbed his head before looking at the brunette. "What are you talking about?"

"Um, your girlfriend is suffering from baby fever. Shut it down." Bri shook her head. "Otherwise, you're going to have your own little baby to spoil soon."

He shook his head. "That's preposterous. She's not suffering from baby fever and I already told her my stand on children. I don't want any of my own."

"Uh huh." She poked at his stomach. "You better cement that into her head because she never wants to babysit Javier."

He groaned as he took a sleeping Monica from Bri's arms and laid her on the sofa next to Javier. "She's too big for you to be carrying her around like that. You're going to throw out your back." He straightened up to look at the brunette carefully. "I'm going to take my girlfriend and go home. I don't want you putting ideas in her head. I'll see you later, be good Brianna."

"Keep it wrapped up Elijah." Bri smirked as she sat on the sofa and watched Javier cuddle up to Monica.

 **.**

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"So, you redecorated your whole bedroom, new color, new bed, new _everything_?" Nik looked around the space and smiled. "All for Jax?"

"No." Bri shook her head. "It's for me. It's a fresh start, I get to make new memories. Plus, it's nice to have a new bed and everything that goes along with it." She trailed her fingers through her hair as she laid on the bed and grabbed Jax's pillow and hugged it to her chest. "Would you want to share the same bed that Anthony shared with his ex?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, I wouldn't want to lay or fuck in the same bed he shared with an ex." She crawled onto the bed and rested her head in her sister's lap and sighed. "I'm excited about the adoption… Aracely is really sweet."

She nodded and smiled down at the blonde. "I'm excited for it too. You guys are going to be parents. Hopefully to a little girl. We always have girls first in the family."

"I do want a little princess." Nik smiled and nodded. "I'm already thinking of names, nursery colors, it's just something that I never thought I was going to be able to do. It's just so amazing. I feel blessed."

Bri grinned as she pushed Nik's bangs from her face. "I'm happy for you Nikola. You should really think about inducing your breast milk babe. It'll give you a deeper bond with the baby too."

"Okay, we just started a whole new topic." Nik laughed and shook her head. "I'll look into that but I doubt I'll actually do it. The whole milky tit thing is weird to me. Do you still have milk in those funbags?"

"Did you just call them fun bags?" Bri scoffed as she pressed on her breasts. "Yeah but like you can't get any out unless you're really squeezing them hard."

"That's awkward. Jax gets too handsy with your tits and you squirt your milk in his eyes." Nik shook her head as she howled with laughter. "I can imagine him just being horrified by it too!"

"Shut up, you're an idiot." The brunette rolled her eyes as she laid down and pulled her sister towards her. "Let's go to sleep. I have work in the morning and I can't keep listening to your nonsense. I love you Nikola, goodnight."


	18. X

**.**

"Perhaps the fact

that I chased a boy

who ripped me to shreds

says a lot more

about me

than it did about him."

 **.**

 **March 4, 2012**

 _Idiotic_. That's what Brianna Hohrykova was thinking as she looked at the man in front of her. All battered and bruised. _Fucking idiot._ She shook her head as she examined his neck and let out a slow breath. Reminding herself that she promised not to lash out. Promised to keep her head about shit when he came pleading and crying to her at work. "You're so lucky I'm working at keeping my promises or you'd be lying on the ground bleeding out from a hole in that thick ass skull of yours."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to go to." He looked at her as she furrowed her brow as she looked at him with something fierce in those piercing grey eyes of her. "I just need to talk to someone. I don't need a fucking lecture Brianna."

The brunette shook her head as she slipped out of her lab coat and rested against her desk. "You tried to kill yourself Juan. You tried to take yourself out of _our_ child's life. For what? Do I need to have Elijah go fucking kill Roosevelt? Huh? Do I need to do that for you to ensure that you're not going to do shit like this again!?" She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she started a slow pace. "Let me know something!"

All he could do was shrug his shoulders as he hung his head in shame. "I wasn't thinking long term. I just wanted it all to end. I wasn't thinking right. I wasn't thinking about anyone else but myself… I'm sorry."

Bri nodded slowly as she turned to look at the man. "You tried to kill yourself. You tried to take a swing from a tree but the fucking branch broke. What do you think I would've gotten to tell Javier when he asked how you died when he's old enough to understand death. _Your dad died because some pussy of a cop wanted to use the fact that he's black against him in attempt to take down a motorcycle club_." She shoved at his chest. "You're so fucking selfish. I fucking hate you so much right now."

"You don't get it! The club is _everything_ to me." Juice looked at the brunette. "It's all I fucking have these days Brianna!"

" _All?_ You forgetting your son? The handsome little boy with a goofy grin to match your stupid grin?" She crossed her arms and sighed. "You have him. He should be the reason you're living and thriving, not some fucking club that obviously is doing nothing to actually help you right now Juice! You're a ticking time bomb. That fucking cop is so far in your head that all you can think about is keeping your secret. The guys won't even fucking care that you're half black when they find out you're talking to a cop. They'll kill you either way. So be fucking smart about the shit."

"I'm not forgetting him!" He stood up and looked at Bri. "I'm glad that I didn't die… I'm glad that I'm not dead."

"Yeah me too." She flashed him a small smile. "Now, that we have this shit covered. Do you have anything else you wanna talk to me about? You having any more episodes?"

Juice studied her for a moment before slowly nodding. "How'd you know?"

"You're obsessive compulsive, you tend to talk to yourself when you're alone and you suck at being alone." Bri shrugged. "I'm not a therapist, I'm not a psychiatrist but I am your friend. As cheesy as it may sound but I am your friend. You may have dumped me, broken my heart, dropped off the face of the earth but I've forgiven you and moved on. I think it'll be best if we can be friends. It'll help with the co-parenting aspect too."

He rolled his eyes. "You moved on, right into the arms of my club's president. I can't believe out of all the guys you could've started something with, you chose to go back to Jax. What's so good about him? Huh?"

She sighed. "As hard as it is going to be to hear what I have to say right now but I loved Jax when I first met him. I only ended things with him because I was so dead set on the fact that it was fate bringing you and I together. That fate was going to give you and I the happy ending that I created for us when I was fifteen. A giant house, three kids, a dog, weekend getaways, marriage. Marriage was the big thing. Then reality slapped me in the face. I was still stuck in the mindset I had when we first met and when the love was young and fresh." She smiled. "He treats me like I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him. He treats me like I'm a fucking Queen, like I'm his _everything_. He makes me happy and the relationship with him is just effortless, it just fucking works for us. That's all I ever wanted."

Juice nodded slowly as he rubbed his neck and looked at the brunette before dropping his gaze to the floor. His eyes welling up with tears. "I get it. I really do. I was shitty to you and didn't give you what you deserved. Can I still see him though? Javi? I really miss him."

Bri nodded. "Yeah, you can still see him. Just keep all of that covered up please. I don't need anyone knowing your business." She moved to him and hugged him. "Don't take warm showers either, it'll make the bruising even worse." She kissed his cheek and smiled. "Just come by this weekend and you can hang out with your son."

 **.**

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 **.**

 **.**

"So, what are we doing exactly?" Nik looked towards Elijah as they sat in a black SUV in front of a house she didn't recognize at all. "What are we even doing in Charming?"

Elijah looked at Nik and shrugged. "I have this code of honor that keeps me from harming a woman. That's where you come in Nikola. You're going to go into that house with me and have some fun. You see, there's a sheriff that's been harassing Juice. His wife is in that house, all alone. Now, you see I paid Eli Roosevelt a visit and warned him that I would be going after his wife if he pursued Juice. Can you handle this for me? Or do I need to go pick up your sister?"

"I can do this." The blonde nodded as she looked at him and smiled. "I promise. Let's go."

He nodded as he got out of the SUV. "We make it quick, we do it quietly. We're sending a message here Nik. We need this guy to stop hassling Juice, we need him to get the picture, that when he messes with Juice he is messing with something a whole lot bigger."

Nik nodded slowly as she moved ahead of Elijah and into the house. "So, we grab his wife and just fuck with her?" She gripped her gun loosely in her hand as she moved deeper into the house, pausing as she hear a woman's voice call out. "Shit, what if she has a gun?"

"Shoot first, ask questions later. That's what happens. You need to remember that." He tapped on the blonde's lower back as they moved down the hallway and towards the master bedroom. "We both rush in, if she aims she'll aim for me before she aims for you." He kicked down the bedroom door, his gun pointed at the brunette's head. "Don't do anything stupid and we won't have to hurt you."

"Listen to him." Nik did her best to lose her Russian accent as she knocked the gun out of the brunette's hand. "We're not here to kill you. We're here to send a message to your husband." She wrenched the woman's arms behind her back and quickly tied her hands together. "Now, sit on the bed and don't move. You move, I'll hurt you. Alright Miss Rita?"

"Who are you?" Rita looked between the pair. "Huh?"

"Well, we're some friends of your husband's." The blonde shrugged. "You see, Eli has been playing a very very very dangerous game with my brother-in-law. I'm talking about a game of life and death. He's pushed my brother to a point where my brother decided to try to take his own life. Now, that doesn't seem too lawful of Eli. I thought his gig was to protect and serve, not to send a man on a downward spiral."

Elijah nodded slowly. "I paid a visit to Eli once before. I told him to back off of the young man but it seems he hasn't quite grasped the concept to not toy with an innocent's life. So, that's why we're here. We don't care that you can see our faces. We're glad that you can see our faces. I'm Elijah, she's Nikola. We've got friends in high places."

Nik nodded slowly as she took out her knife. "Let's see, what is it that we mark people up with when they aren't friendly?" She grabbed Rita's face. "I think it's an X, I think I have to put a nice X right here on your pretty little face." She dragged the knife along the brunette's face before quickly carving an X by her left eye. "We don't like going after women but we will do it to make a point. You see, X marks the spot. Your husband makes one more move against my brother, then we'll come back after you. We'll hit him where it hurts."

 **March 8, 2012**

"I'm so over this shit." Bri shook her head as she kicked at her desk. "This is some bullshit, I swear to God it is!" She growled as she stripped out of her labcoat and sent it flying across her office. "Monica, tell me again what happened at school?" She moved back to her daughter and lifted her up, examining her busted lip and nose. "Who the fuck did this and why weren't they suspended too?"

Monica whimpered as her mom pressed on her nose. "I told you mom, Bailey kicked me in the face when she was going across the monkey bars even though she saw me standing on the edge! She said it was an accident so the nurse just sent me home." She swatted at her mom's hand. "Don't touch it anymore."

"Monkey, it's fucking broken." The brunette shook her head. "I have to reset it, it's going to hurt a lot but if I don't reset it then you'll have some trouble breathing and you'll get a weird bump on your nose. Just like mine."

"I don't care if I get a bump. I don't want you to reset it if it'll hurt!" She shook her head and turned her face away from her mom. "Just leave it alone, ok?"

"Baby!" Bri pulled her daughter into a hug. "Don't worry, I won't reset it Mo. I'll leave it alone, I'm sure you'll be rocking the bump, just like I do." She kissed her daughter's forehead and smiled. "I think I'm gonna kick Bailey in the face the next time I see her. I don't see why you had to go back to real school. I liked having you around the house."

"I don't know why I went back either." She huffed as she pushed her hair out of her face and sighed. "I made a new friend, his name is Carson."

"Look at you making boy friends." Bri smirked as she kissed Monica's nose softly. "So baby, what do you wanna do for dinner? I'll let you pick a place."

"Um, I want to go home and make food there. I think we can make burgers or tacos. Jax likes when we cook for him." Monica smiled. "You think my dad will come over for dinner if I invite him? I know he's busy with Kol and Jacey and Camryn but still…"

"Just call him and ask him." She smiled. "If not, there's always next time. Now, let's get your face cleaned up more. I can't believe you have a broken nose, busted lip and black eyes. You look like a grown ass man hit you in the face." She shook her head as she grabbed the first aid kit from under her desk. "We'll get you clean then we can head out baby girl."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Dinner was so good." Bri sighed as she dropped onto the sofa next Jax. "Monica talked me into cooking and I can't say that I'm mad at her for it. She was concerned about you having a nice home cooked meal babe."

Jax nodded as he relaxed further into the sofa, pulling the brunette closer to him as he did so. "I love coming over here to home cooked meals babe." He kissed her cheek and smiled. "It's better than going to the diner and eating some greasy day old burger."

"I made the fries." Monica climbed onto the couch and settled between the couple. "I cut them up and everything!"

"Oh did you darlin'?" He smiled at the nine year old. "I loved the fries too. I'm gonna need you to make me some more in a few days." He pulled her onto his lap and hugged her. "Look at you though. You look like you were in one hell of a fight."

"I got kicked in the face." She shook her head and shrugged. "Casualty of the playground."

He chuckled as he ran a finger down her nose. "You're gonna have your mom's nose now. A little offset but still cute."

"I know." Monica nodded as she wrapped herself around Jax. "Are you gonna spend the night? Will you read me a bedtime story like you did for Javi?"

Jax rubbed her back and nodded. "I'll read you a bedtime story Monica. On one condition though."

"What's the condition?" She looked at him. "Huh?"

"You gotta let me bunk with you because your mom snores and I'm trying to sleep peacefully tonight." He laughed as he dodged a pop to the head from Bri. "Do we have a deal?"

Monica nodded. "Yeah, we have a deal!" She smiled before moving away from him. "I gotta shower and stuff before bed but I'll see you later."

"See ya darlin'." Jax smiled at the tiny brunette before looking at Bri. "I think she is absolutely adorable, busted face and all."

The brunette nodded. "I think it gives her character. But for real though? Snoring?" She shook her head as she moved onto his lap. "I just want you to know that you'll be reading her some large book as a bedtime story. I think she's getting into Harry Potter right now. You should love that, just gotta read it in an accent."

"Yeah, well. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get my baby girl to bed and happy." Jax wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and kissed her neck. "I'll find you and cuddle you, maybe read your ass a bedtime story too if needed." He smiled. "Now, let's see what fun we can have before I head upstairs to read her that story."

Bri smirked. "Yeah, gotta keep your baby girl happy." She nodded slowly. "I think we can have a lot of fun before she is ready to go down for the night. Javier is already sleep. So, we don't have to worry about anything but Monica." She slipped her hands under his shirt and smiled. "I'm pretty sure you can work fast…So, prove me wrong or right baby." She pressed a kiss to his lips as she straddled his legs. "I don't-" She stopped mid sentence as she heard the front door burst open. "What the fuck!?"

"Well, well. Miss Hohrykova." Eli Roosevelt flashed the brunette a lopsided smirk. "Let the fun and games begin." 


	19. Pregnancy & Sluts

**March 8, 2012 (continued…)**

"Well, fuck me." Bri groaned as she shook her head and eyed the officer carefully. "You know, you could've just knocked. I would've let you in and it would have spared my door because damn, I loved that door."

"Now is not the time for you to smile and crack jokes." Eli shook his head as he walked further into the living room, his officers behind him. "I'm here on official police business. Looking for Nikola Hohrykova and Elijah Nasonov."

The brunette trailed her fingers through her hair and shrugged. "You're looking for who? I don't believe I've heard of either of those people before." She shook her head as her arms were pulled down and wrenched behind her back. "Oh, we're playing rough now, are we sheriff?"

"They broke into my house. Attacked my wife." He growled into the brunette's ear. "Nikola, she cut an X in my wife's face and told her that if I overstepped a line again, some suits would come after her because X marks the spot."

Bri scoffed. "X marks the spot? What are we in? The Pirates of the Caribbean?" She shook her head and smirked as she watched an officer handcuff Jax. "What's he getting cuffed for? He has nothing to do with your shit with me and my sister. Let him go and I'll lead you to Nik. Not that you'll do anything for her."

Eli cocked an eyebrow at the brunette before nodding at the officer to cut Jax loose. "You don't think I'll arrest her ass for assault?"

"I don't think you'll arrest her if you want your wife alive. Nik cut the X into her face, right? If you do anything to Nik, you'll risk a few dozen Russian suits coming down hard on your wife." She shrugged. "See how it works out? You don't take the threat of leaving Juice alone seriously and shit just starts going south for you and your family. That's what happens when you mess with my family. Bad things start to happen."

"You do realize you're threatening an officer of the law right?" Eli looked at the brunette in disbelief. "I don't know how you do shit in Russia but we're stateside. We don't go after women or children."

Bri nodded slowly as she moved closer to the man. "We also don't push a man until he breaks unless he deserves it but you didn't play fair so why should I? I warned you myself. Elijah warned you once, then you still pushed Juice and my son almost lost him. I don't appreciate that shit. I don't think it's common sense either Sheriff. I think you need to learn when enough is _enough_. You back up off Juice and his club and I'll call off the dogs. Because you think all the suits that are visible are the only ones around? They're not. Suits aren't always so literal, so I say this now. _Watch your back_."

 **March 9, 2012**

Bri slammed the front door of Elijah's house and crossed her arms as she waited for Elijah to show his face. "Elijah! I know you're home. You're Audi is in the driveway and your watch is on the entryway table. Show your face right now!"

Elijah slowly moved down the stairs. "What can I help you with today Brianna? You never usually make house calls."

"You and Nik went after Rita Roosevelt and marked her?" The brunette moved to the man and grabbed his ear. "What were you two thinking? We're you guys even thinking? Or did you two go into your little psycho mode and just run rampant?"

He tried to wiggle free from the brunette's grasp only for her to tighten it. "Jesus Christ Brianna, are you trying to rip my ear off my head?"

She let go and shrugged. "Yeah, maybe I am." She looked at him and shook her head as she tried to regain her composure. "When I said handle it, I meant like kill Eli not go after his goddamn wife. I mean, that X thing sounded like a lot of fun and I wish I were invited to the psycho show but he came to my home! He busted the door down and the kids were home. They could've seen that shit."

"I'm sorry about that Bri, I really am but I was just putting things into play." Elijah nodded slowly as he grabbed the brunette's hands and laced their fingers together. "I like to think that you still trust me and my judgement when it comes to the family and its wellbeing."

"Seriously?" Bri inhaled slowly. "Your charm doesn't work on me. I'm Brianna not Jacey or Kaia." She smirked and shook her head as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I do trust you when it comes down to my family. I don't like you getting my sister involved and I sure as hell don't like police officers entering my house uninvited. I expect you to finish everything up, tie up loose ends. I don't care what happens to the Roosevelts but lock Juice down."

"I'm going to lock Juice down. Don't worry about it." He smiled at the brunette. "Now, that you're done throwing a fit, do you want to sit down and actually let me tell you why I asked for a leave of absence for the winter."

"Because Kaia is pregnant and the baby is due in November… I'm a doctor. I'm not stupid Elijah" She shrugged as she hugged him. "Congratulations, you got trapped. Now, you really get to live up to your reputation as being an honorable gentleman."

" _Trapped_?" Elijah shook his head slowly as he lead the brunette into his office and closed the door behind them. "Now why would she want to trap me? I'm no one of importance. I'm a glorified body guard for a privileged young woman."

Bri scoffed. "Yeah, yeah." She pulled on the front of Elijah's shirt and patted his cheek. "Glorified bodyguard I think you need to make sure that you get her to sign a prenup if it does indeed get that far. I am excited to see you with your kid. I hope you get a daughter, you were amazing with Monica when she was a baby."

"Monica was a breeze. She was quiet and easy to pacify. I don't know what happened to her though, now she's a bit neurotic and hard to please." He sighed as he rubbed his chin. "I guess I can blame myself for some of that behavior though. I haven't been doing well with keeping my promises to her."

"I need you to know that she's not neurotic. She's just becoming more of me. She's not handling the younger sibling thing well and I guess I can see so much of myself in her because I acted like a little fucking brat when Nik was born. It was a mess." She shook her head as she trailed her fingers through the ends of her long auburn hair. "It's part of the terrible jealous trait that I seem to have. I gave my kid my fucked up flaws. You know for the life of me, I can't figure out why we haven't just changed her name to Baby Bri."

Elijah chuckled and shook his head. "Because she's not a Baby Bri, she's Monica and she may have some of your character flaws but she's also nine. She's gotten back to back to back siblings. She was alright with competing with Camryn for Happy, she was alright with competing with Javier for you, she then realized that Happy was getting a son and she is a smart child. She knows that a bond between a father and his son is something intense. She got spooked with not coming in first or second or third and she just like her mom tucked tail and ran so to speak."

"Sounds about right." The brunette sighed as she dragged a hand down her face. "Have you noticed she stopped her little possessive thing? Like she won't even bat an eyelash when a suit leaves anymore. I miss my little possessive Monkey! I miss her Elijah. I just want my clingy seven year old Monica back."

"She's still clingy, she just isn't physically clingy which is good because she's getting too old for you guys to be picking her up like she's three." He shrugged. "You don't even pick up Javier that much Brianna."

"Because Javier is a boy! He doesn't need to be held and cuddled all damn day but my daughter does. That's my baby girl and I still have a hell of alot of time to make up for." She sat in his office chair and pulled her legs up to rest her chin on her knees as she looked at the picture of herself, Elijah and Monica that was on his desk. "I still feel fucking guilty all the damn time when she gets in her little moods and I can see her demeanor switch… Like it's my fault that she has these abandonment issues. She pushes everyone away so they can't have the upperhand and leave her first. She's nine! She shouldn't be fucking thinking like that!"

Elijah sighed as he moved to the brunette and pulled her into a hug. "Relax… You couldn't have known her life would've have turned out the way it has when you made the decision to let your brother and his wife adopt her… All that matters is that you were always still there for her Bri. You always took her when you could. You were still her mom all those damn years." He pulled back and wiped her tears away. "Now all you can do is continue to be her mom and let her know that you're not going anywhere. Reinforce the fact that she doesn't need to feel the way she does and you know what she's going through."

"She's not worried about me leaving her. That's the thing Elijah." She shook her head as she dropped back into the leather chair. "She's worried about Happy and Elijah leaving her. That's all she ever worries about. She'll be like 'mom I know, you're always going to be here for me but will they always be here for me?' I feel like I slept with Happy, had a kid with him and then we didn't work out so he dipped and only stops by when he's not with his family… Then you're like the boyfriend that I had that she got attached to but it didn't work out so she rarely sees you. Do you get that shit? I feel like a shit mom to Monica. I'm one of _those_ moms."

"Eli-." Kaia paused in the office door. "Sorry, I didn't know you were here Brianna."

Bri waved the brunette off. "It's alright. I'm heading out. I was just talking to Elijah about suit business and Monica." She stood up and moved towards Kaia. "Elijah told me the good news though. Congratulations. I'm happy that you guys are expecting. I'll see you two around though. Have a good one."

 **.**

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"Kaia is pregnant?" Nik shook her head as she looked at Bri who was in the process of shaving her legs. "I can't believe she trapped Mr. Honorable like that!"

Bri nodded and laughed. "Right! That's what I was thinking and then I was like 'Lijah she trapped you and he was all, what would she trap me for?"

The blonde scoffed. "I swear, he's so naive with shit at times. I can't believe Kaia got my man! He was supposed to be my fucking husband! I'm so upset by this shit Brianna. No offense because I know he was supposed to be yours too."

She rolled her eyes. "You need to shut the fuck up. Elijah belongs to no one besides Monica." She smiled as she rinsed her legs off. "I swear, Jax better appreciate the fact that I'm making sure that my legs are smooth and hairless. I need to go get my legs lasered or something. I want to never have to shave my legs again."

Nik rolled her eyes as she reached out and rubbed her sister's legs. "Your hair only grows where you don't have ink. I think the solution is to just ink every inch of your legs." She smiled and nodded her head vigorously. "What? It's a good plan."

"I don't like that idea at all." She shook her head as she finished drying her legs. "I want you to know that you're not allowed to go all psycho with Elijah anymore. It does nothing but blow back onto me and Aleksandr gets all pissed off and red in the face. I don't want to have to be lectured by him again."

"I know." Nik nodded. "I'm excited though, about Aracely signing all the paperwork for the process to start. I'm getting a cute little baby in a few months and it's nothing but fun."

"Exactly, so keep your ass out of trouble." Bri pulled her sister into a tight hug. "Now, will you be a true sister and help me with changing my nipple rings. I got these cute little skeleton hands, that remind me of the Reaper on Jax's kutte. Don't judge me, I think he's going to love them."

The blonde smirked and shrugged. "I'm not passing any judgement. Nope, no judgement here Brianna. None at all. Nope. Nada. Zilch. Maybe a little bit of judgement because you're putting on special barbells for a man. I can't judge though, I let my hair get this long because Ant says it makes it easier for him to pull on when he's hitting it from behind."

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I'm not even mad at you for telling me that. He just seems like he is a hair puller. Jax likes to pull but he also likes using his belt." Bri nodded and smirked. "I love it so much. I also love it when he keeps his kutte on. Lord… Lord… Lord… Jesus fucking Christ that man is just so fucking sexy."

"Anthony when he keeps his suit on… Or when we role play and play boss and secretary. That shit is everything." Nik fanned her face as she examined Bri's nipple piercings. "You know, I'm thoroughly upset that I didn't get to seal the deal with Elijah, because that man is packing more than just a huge conscience if you know what I'm saying."

"Don't even get me started on Elijah because I wanted to fuck that man so bad but I could _never_ get any play from him." Bri shook her head as she pulled on her leggings before lifting herself up onto the bathroom sink. "I know this sounds awful but hello, I kinda wanna know what it's like to be with Happy."

The blonde smiled widely and nodded her head. "You and me both. Do you know how many sex dreams I've had of Happy since the first time I saw him? Way too many to be considered to be normal." She trailed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Okay, let's stop talking about this because I can't even get started on how bad I'm trying to be sandwiched between Igor and Frey… Like I would just- Shit, okay subject change."

Bri laughed and nodded. "We definitely need a subject change. How about we talk about how we can plan a make up trip to Las Vegas since plans fell through for my birthday? We can go and be reckless there." She pulled on a shirt and smiled. "We're sluts. I'm so gonna tell Jacey that you've been dreaming about boning her husband!"

Nik smacked her sister's arm. "Hey! You're over here trying to get it in with Happy in your little dirty ass imagination."

"So! Jacey knows that I wanna know what it's like. I'm regretting not taking them up on that threesome offer now." Bri frowned. "I passed up on the offer to fuck them both because I was pregnant. Sad time. Sad memory. I hate myself."

The blonde wrapped her arms around her older sister. "I think you should hate yourself for that. I would have jumped on that opportunity. God, I thought I raised you better than this!" She laughed as she pulled her sister down onto the bed. "Okay, now play with my hair until I fall asleep."

Bri shook her head as she started trailing her nails over her sister's scalp. "You're a demanding little thing. If I didn't love you so much, I wouldn't be giving up my afternoon to baby you. Consider yourself blessed. Not just anyone gets to feel my magic fingers. I love you Nik."

Nik nodded and sighed. "I love you too Bri, now finish babying me."


	20. Quickies & Convos

**March 24, 2012**

"Breakfast in bed for Mr. Teller." Bri stood next to Jax's side of the bed and smiled down at him, waiting for him to fully wake up and enjoy what was happening before him. "You better wake up soon Mr. Teller. I'd hate for your breakfast to get cold. Nothing worse than cold, soggy pancakes."

Jax rubbed his eyes before slowly opening them to look at his girlfriend, standing with a tray of next to him. "Good morning to you too darlin'." He sat up slowly, watching her carefully set the tray over his legs before he took in her outfit fully. "Ok, not that I'm complaining but what are you wearing?"

The brunette chuckled as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and eyed the man. "Well, Mr. Teller. I'm dressed in that French maid outfit that you just had to buy me." She twirled around and smirked. "Barely covers anything but I'm not complaining, makes for easy access."

He smiled as he set the tray on his nightstand and grabbed the brunette by her hand. "Don't get me wrong, breakfast looks amazing but I have something else in mind for breakfast." He pulled her back onto the bed and smirked as he ran his hands up the short skirt of her costume. "I'm all about this role playing shit Brianna."

"Oh yeah Mr. Teller." She smiled at him. "You know, I'm here to serve you, tend to your every want and need."

He nodded as he tore the flimsy skirt away from her body, his piercing blue eyes taking in the tattoos on her soft skin. "It still always surprises me that you are a doctor and have so much ink on your body. Kinda goes against what your profession stands for."

She shrugged as she pulled the tiny crop top over her head and tossed it over her head. "I never really thought about. I always kept the mindset that I'm a great doctor and surgeon and at the end of the day my patients only care about that." Bri smiled. "You know, we should really hurry up if we're gonna get it in, with our luck, we're going to be interrupted by a kid, an ex, some cops, hell maybe some alien invasion."

The man laughed before flipping them over and pressing a kiss to the front of Bri's neck. "You're right, we have no time to waste." He moved onto his knees and pushed his boxers down his legs, freeing his erection. "Pass me a condom babe…"

Bri nodded as she reached into the nightstand and pulled out a foil packet before passing it to Jax. "Look at us, taking the time to be protected." She turned her head to the side and rolled her eyes, not even knowing why she bothered with condoms or the birth control patches she used religiously. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer once the rubber was on. "Fuck me now Mr. Teller…"

Jax nodded, not hesitating to give the brunette what she wanted, he pushed into her with one fluid motion. "You feel so damn good baby…" He pressed a rough kiss to the brunette's full pouty lips. "We gotta make this quicker than usual though babe, I got some shit to handle."

"Way to kill the romance." She chuckled as she trailed her nails up and down Jax's back as she moved her hips in time to meet his quick and rough thrusts. "I can do quick."

He smirked down at her as he dropped his hands to her hips and squeezed them roughly, slamming into her without mercy as he watched her face twist up into pleasure. "You feel so damn good." He leaned down and traced her lips with the tip of his tongue. "You're gorgeous Brianna."

"Mmmm, thank you babe." She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his face down to meet hers. "I love kissing you babe." Bri smiled against his lips.

"Fuck." He shook his head as he continued to pound into her. "I need this to happen more without interruptions." He moved his hands up her body until he reached her breasts. "You're fucking perfect." He palmed her breasts roughly, his thumbs rubbing over her nipples in small circles.

She nodded as she wrapped her legs tighter around his waist. "God, I'm so close." She squeezed his ass and smirked. "Next time I'm handcuffing you to the bed so you can't skip out and leave me." She murmured as she felt her orgasm build in the pit of her stomach. "I'm serious about it…"

He buried his face in her neck and continued his pace as he felt her nails dig into his back. "Fuck, fuck." He shook his head as he felt her walls tighten around him, making his movements slow down. "You feel so fucking good babe."

Bri moaned softly as she worked through her orgasm. "So fucking good." She shook her head as she writhed under Jax's weight. "Fuck Jackson."

He let out a low moan before he stilled within the brunette as he found his release. "I fucking needed that so much." He rested his weight on her briefly before pulling out of her. "It sucks that I have to go."

"I know… It was literally a fuck and go." Bri sat up slowly and wrapped the sheet around her body. "You didn't even eat the breakfast I cooked for you babe."

Jax furrowed his brow before reaching over to the tray and grabbing the toast and bacon. "I'm eating it babe. You can eat the eggs, I know how much you love those." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'm gonna take the orange juice too. So, get over it."

"I hate eggs so much." She looked at the plate and shook her head before taking a sip of the orange juice. "I squeezed this fresh for you and you're just gonna leave me! Terrible, terrible. You're absolutely terrible to me!"

He chuckled and shook his head as he buckled his belt. "I'll make it up to you baby. I promise you that much." He kissed her again and smiled. "I'll be back later when I'm done with everything."

"Yeah, yeah." Bri nodded. "I'm gonna be waiting around for you. Don't let me down."

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"Come on papas." Bri grabbed her son's hand and smiled down at him as they walked through the food court. "We gotta meet your daddy at the little Mexican restaurant over there. You excited to see your daddy?"

"Daddy!" Javier shouted as soon as he laid eyes on his dad. "Daddy!"

"Hey buddy!" Juice scooped up his son and kissed his forehead before looking at Brianna. "You look really good Bri… You look happy."

"I am happy." She nodded. "You look like you're getting your shit together Juice. You been alright? That cop still giving you problems?"

He shook his head as they sat down at the table. "I've been getting better. He hasn't bugged me at all. It's been nice to breathe easy without having to look over my shoulder all the time for Eli." He sat his son on the table and smiled at him. "You're getting bigger kid, you been eating all the time?"

"I eat a lot of food." Javier nodded and smiled as he ran a hand over his dad's mohawk. "I'm gonna get big and strong like you."

Juice nodded. "Oh yeah? That sounds like a plan." He looked his son over and smiled. "Look at your hair though, you letting it grow out or you wanna get another mohawk like mine?"

"Like yours." He flashed his dad a grin. "I want it like daddy's hair mom."

Bri smiled. "Man, I was hoping that he'd let it grow out. I want him to have long luxurious hair like mine." She shrugged. "What do you guys want to eat? Some tacos? Some burritos? I don't know what else there is. I doubt think they have cubans."

"Tacos." Javier nodded. "We want tacos mom."

"We can go together." Juice stood up before picking up Javier. "It'll just be easier, I need to see the menu anyway. I'm not sure what I want."

"I want carne asada fries." Bri murmured as they looked up at the menu. "I also want a soda. I think I'll treat myself to one today."

"Fries." Javi nodded. "I want some fries too. I want some soda too."

The brunette smirked. "I'll give you some sips of mine baby and I'll share the fries with you. I think you'll like something with you can have a kid's juice or something my love." She ran a finger down the bridge of Javier's nose and smiled. "You know I can't resist that handsome little face of yours Javi Baby."

"You still calling him that?" Juice looked back at the brunette once he finished ordering their food.

"Yup." Bri nodded. "He's my little Javi baby… Always will be, even when he's forty and has kids of his own." She smiled as she filled her cup with Dr. Pepper. "This is so gonna be a good lunch. I need some comfort food. Nothing better than asada and fries."

"I haven't seen you drink a soda since we were sixteen." Juice watched the brunette take a sip of the soda before sitting down at the table. "How's work been?"

"I don't make a habit of drinking soda. I'm more of a juice person." She shrugged. "It's been work. I am getting tired of all the _procedures_ though. It's wearing on my goddamn soul, ya know? All the _mistakes_ …"

He nodded as he watched brunette carefully. "So, you still on the baby kick? I'm sorry, is that too personal?"

"I've gotten over it. I mean, it's not in the cards for me." Bri shrugged her shoulders again. "Nik and Anthony though, they're adopting a baby girl. So I'll have a niece to dote on and dress up. We both know Jacey will pop out at least two more kids before her and Happy get it together. So I'll have nieces and nephews to baby. I'm good with that."

"You can always adopt." Juice smiled. "There's always a baby out there looking to be adopted. It'll be good for the kid and for you." He nodded as he watched the girl set their food on the table before walking away. "That's new."

She nodded. "They've been doing that for a bit now. When it's slow, they'll bring it to the table." She smiled down at her food. "Let's dig in. I'm starving."

"We have to do this again." Juice nodded. "It'll be good for Javier and us."

She grinned. "Yeah, I know. We can do it again, long as you keep getting better about shit." She trailed her fingers through her hair. "He misses you a lot so, I want you around more. So, it'll be all good."

"Yeah, well I want more of him in my life." He smiled. "Huh Javi? You and me can be thick as thieves buddy."

Javier smiled. "Yes! Thick as thieves." He nodded as he took a sip of his juice. "This is yummy."

"Well, stop by sometime soon." Bri nodded. "You two can have some bonding time and you can put together this goddamn robot thing that Elijah bought him but he couldn't figure out how to put it together and I haven't had the time to."

"I'll be by tomorrow then." Juice nodded. "Thanks for all of this Brianna. It means a lot. I'm also sorry about how everything happened on your birthday…"

"Don't mention it. We're moving forward, alright." She smiled. "Forward, no steps backwards."

 **March 25, 2012**

Nik Hohrykova looked between her phone and the current dancer on stage in front of her. Her mind a million miles away as she tried to process the thread of texts she had gotten from her older sister Bri. Jacey had given birth to her son, a few months early. The news was heartbreaking to the blonde because she knew how excited Happy and Jacey were about the pregnancy. "I gotta go. Reach out." She rubbed the back of her boyfriend's neck.

Anthony nodded as he kissed the gorgeous blonde. "I think that's a good idea. They need friends and family around." He cupped her face as he rested his forehead against hers and smiled. "I can hold down the fort and finish with amateur night auditions."

She nodded as she chuckled. "I'm so making you sleep alone tonight if you get any ideas of letting the talent seduce you… I know you Ant. Those girls are gonna rub against you and purr to get hired. Don't let that shit happen. I don't like cheaters." She kissed him and smiled. "I gotta grab some bottles to take with me."

"I'm not gonna let the dancers touch my magic stick." Anthony smacked the blonde's ass and smirked. "You're the only dancer I need babe."

"Yeah, yeah." Nik smiled and waved the man off as she moved away from him and behind the bar, her blue eyes scanning the shelves of liquor before she grabbed the most expensive bottles. "Nothing says friendship like free liquor and kind words."

"Don't go yet." He caught her slender wrist as she moved back around the bar. "I'm not ready to let you leave me yet." He took the bottles from her and set them on the bar before pulling her between his legs. "No rush right?"

"It's a slight rush but whatever." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up and onto his lap. "I love you babe."

"I love you too Nik." He pushed his hands under her shirt and smiled. "How about we take this back to your office and we can get it on. It'll be fun."

"You're insatiable." Nik laughed as Anthony picked her up and carried her toward her office. "I want to go on record saying that I haven't agreed to getting it on in the office."

"Mmmhm." Anthony nodded as he set the blonde down on her desk. "We can just fool around, make out like teenagers."

"You're a horny mess." She shook her head as she pulled him closer by the hem of his shirt. "I'll let you get it in if you promise me that we can name the baby Kajsa if she's a girl…"

"He nodded. We can name her Kajsa if she's a girl." He smiled down at his wife. "I love that name actually. It's pretty unique."

Nik smiled and nodded as she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. "Then you earned it. We can get it on now." She smirked. "Hurry though, I only have an hour to give to you."

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"Blah." Nik dropped down onto the sofa and buried her face in her sister's neck. "I just came from seeing Jacey and Kol. He's a handsome little guy." She murmured as she toed off her shoes. "Anthony let me pick out the baby's name. Kajsa Elise Robles. I know that it's not a hundred perfect of the baby being a girl but I want a girl so bad."

Bri laughed. "She's having a little girl. The baby isn't going to spontaneously grow a dick." She shook her head. "Kajsa is a pretty name though. I love it so damn much. My little Kajsa." She stroked her little sister's hair and smiled. "You know, you'll start nesting one Aracely gets closer to delivering. You'll wanna clean non stop and buy too many onesies. It happened to me with both Monica and Javi. I nested up until the point I went into labor."

"I remember that shit." She shook her head. "You were out of your mind, up at four in the morning vacuuming the the entire first floor when you were pregnant with Javier. It was insane. I thought I was gonna have to strangle you."

"You were out of your mind. You tried to save my placenta, remember?" The brunette rolled her eyes. "You wanted it in your hair to make it grow more thicker and shinier."

"Yeah, because placenta is amazing. I put goat placenta on my face and in my hair twice a week and look at how shiny it all is." Nik smirked. "I love my face and hair, super soft and perfect."

"You're lunatic." Bri shook her head as she pulled her younger sister into a hug. "I don't mean to get all sentimental and shit but I love you Nikola. I am glad that I have you and that you put up with my shenanigans."

"Shit, Katarzyna, are you fucking dying" Nik pulled back to study the brunette carefully. "Or are you about to pack up you and the kids and skip town?"

"No." She flicked her sister's ear. "I just wanted to be mushy as fuck with you. I know it's not how we usually are. I was trying something new bitch. I hate you for looking at me like that dumbass slut." She smirked at the blonde."

"Well, _cunt_. The hugging is enough for me and the pointless conversations we have about which guys we'd fuck." Nik kissed her sister's cheek. "I love you too if that makes you get over this mush fest bitch. Now, let's just sit here in silence and watch some TV. We both need the mind numbing background noise to drown out the thoughts in our heads."

Bri laced her fingers through Nik's and smiled. "You're right. Silence and reality TV."


	21. Fun

**April 26, 2012**

"I like guns." Bri murmured as she looked between Elijah and Aleksandr. "What? I was raised around them. I can take apart any of these guns, clean them and put them back together without missing a beat. It's just another form of surgery." She shrugged as she sat down between the two large men and smiled. "So, what exactly are we doing."

"Aleksandr and I are testing these guns out to see if we can put them in that new store you want to open up." Elijah smiled at the brunette. "You're more than welcome to join us at the shooting range later this week. That is if you're still an ace shot Miss Hohrykova."

The brunette laughed. "Mhm, you know I'm still a killer shot Elijah. I don't see why Jacey gets upset when you call her Miss Teller, it's sexy as fuck when you call me Miss Hohrykova." She shrugged as she picked an assault rifle from the table. "I want this one for myself, make it happen after the tests are done."

"I do it out of habit to annoy Jacey." He shrugged as he took the gun from the brunette. "Don't touch them yet. Fingerprints aren't your friend Brianna."

"Oh, Miss Hohrykova and Brianna in less than five minutes." She stood up from the sofa and shook her head. "I know what that means. I'll find you guys later… I'm gonna go love on my son and drag him along with me to pick up his sister."

"Goodbye Brianna." Aleksandr smiled up at his daughter. "Try not to get into it with any of the parents at Monica's new school. She quite likes it there."

She scoffed. "I'm not gonna start any shit. Unless someone is fucking with my daughter then I'll be all over the campus starting shit with parents, students, staff. No one fucks with my daughter. Ask the little twat that kicked Monica in the face, where's she at now? _Nowhere_." She smirked at her dad. "Keep your phones on, never know when I'll be calling to be bailed out of jail."

"You're thirty, act like it please." He shook his head. "No unnecessary arrests Katarzyna Petra… I mean it."

"God dad." Brianna rolled her eyes. "I'm not dumb. I have commonsense. I'll only get arrested if it's because I'm protecting my children. Or protecting one of my sisters or a niece or nephew." She shrugged as she toyed with the strings on her sweats. "I love you guys. Have fun with the guns and don't fucking go to the range without me or I'll cry my eyes out for days."

Elijah watched Bri move out of the living room and up the stairs before turning his attention to Aleksandr. "You know what I've always wondered? Why she just accepted her husband's death without asking any questions besides asking us if we were sure he was really dead."

Aleksandr nodded. "That's all she ever needed to know, if we were sure." He shrugged. "You trying to own up to it now? You did it so her and Monica would have better lives. Nothing wrong with you stepping in and helping them out."

"I'll never deny it if she were to ask." He shook his head. "I just always thought she'd ask who did it and all of that. I guess she really did hate that man with every fiber of her being."

"She did. Almost as much as she hated her dad. You handled that too." Aleksandr smirked. "You've done a lot for her. You having second thoughts about not taking her dad's offer to marry her?"

Elijah chuckled. "Nothing of the sort. I know it sounds terrible but Brianna was just not my type. I'm going to try to say this in the best way I can say it, she's a little too wild for me. I know I dated Jacey but Bri is on a whole new level of wild and neurotic."

"She is very neurotic." Aleksandr chuckled. "It what makes her her. No one will ever want her to change who she is because when it comes down to it, she's selfless, she'll put anyone and everyone she loves before her. It's her most admirable trait."

"I know she is." He nodded slowly. "I honestly thought she was going to castrate me when she found out that Jacey and I were a thing."

"But I didn't because all I cared about was my best friend being happy." Bri mumbled as she looked at Elijah. "I wanted to see if you guys wanted anything from In Out while I'm picking up Monica."

"We're fine." Aleksandr smiled at the brunette. "We have a dinner to go to in a few hours, we'll eat then."

"It was very nice of you to put feelings aside so you could see Jacey happy Brianna." Elijah smiled at the brunette.

"I wasn't referring to Jacey." Bri shook her head. "You were my best friend in the situation Elijah. I mean, Jacey was my best friend too but when it came down to it, I wanted to see you happy because you were my best friend before she was. Now, I'm heading out, continue to talk about how neurotic and wild I am." She pointed to the baby monitor sitting on the table next to the guns. "May wanna make sure it's off the next time you start talking shit about me… I love you guys though!."

"I can't even handle her sometimes." Aleksandr shook his head as he watched his daughter pick up her son and move towards the foyer. "I want to strangle her still sometimes. It's like she reverts back to her teen years when she likes a boy."

"How long do you think her and Jackson will last?" Elijah started packing up the guns. "I don't think it'll be long before they're going their separate ways."

"Who knows?" The man shrugged. "Monica was right, us suits do gossip like girls." Aleksandr chuckled and shook his head. "Let's man up and go shoot shit."

 **May 13, 2009**

"You're three!" Bri smiled down at her son as she passed him a bouquet of balloons. "Happy birthday! You're getting even more handsome with each year that passes!" She dropped to her knees and kissed his nose. "It's your day! What do you wanna do my dear?"

"I wanna get some dinos and then see my dad." Javier smiled at his mom. "Come on mama, grab your keys and let's go to Walmart."

"Oh well, ok Javi Baby." She stood up and nodded. "We'll leave the balloons here and grab your sister, dad and everyone else who wants to go then we'll go to Walmart and grab all the dinos that we can possibly find for you my dear."

"We gotta take Cam with us." He nodded. "I will go get her from the room." He grinned before starting towards the stairs. "I can't forget her mom, she's my wife!"

"I know my love, go get your wife and her family and let's load up." Bri squeezed his cheeks and smiled. "Careful, don't run up the stairs. We don't want to spend your third birthday in the emergency room because you broke your arm."

Javier nodded as he moved up the stairs slowly and towards the guest room. "Cam! Cam!" He knocked on the door with his tiny fist and waited for an answer. "Cam! Jacey! Kol! It's me, Javier!"

Camryn opened the door and looked at Javier. "Hi Javi Baby!" She stepped out of the room and hugged him. "Happy birthday! You're three now like me!" She pressed a kiss to his lips and giggled. "What are we doing today!?"

He blinked at the blonde before smiling. "You just kissed my lips Cam! You never did that before! I liked it." He nodded as he grabbed her hand. "We're going to the store to buy me some more dinos, my dad is coming too."

"It's a birthday kiss." She nodded and smiled as they walked towards the stairs. "You're getting more dinos? I want to help you pick some out, can I?"

"Yes, you can help me pick some out. You're my wife." Javier nodded as they started to walk slowly down the stairs. "Monica is coming with us but she's not mean today, she's being nice."

"There's my birthday boy!" Aleksandr smiled down at Javier and Camryn. "Hello Miss Camryn, it's quite lovely to see you again. You're looking gorgeous."

"Hi grandpa!" Javier smiled up at the large man. "I'm three today! My wife even gave me a kiss…" He waved the man down. "On the lips." He whispered before looking at Camryn and giggling. "I liked it!"

"Oh, I bet you did." He passed Javier a black gift bag. "I'm sorry I can't tag along with you all today. I have business to attend to but I do hope you enjoy the gift."

"It's okay Grandpa." The three year old hugged the man's legs. "You can hang out with us when you get home! I'll have mom take us to Walmart when you get back, ok? Don't be sad!"

Aleksandr nodded as he picked up the little boy and hugged him. "That sounds like the best plan ever my boy. I love you and I'll get back as soon as possible." He kissed the boy's forehead. "Be good and have fun."

"Bye grandpa." Monica smiled at the man as she waltzed down the stairs. "Hey Camryn. Happy birthday Javi Baby. I got you a present. She passed him a purple gift bag, I hope you love it."

"You behave too Monica." Aleksandr smiled at the trio. "You too Miss Camryn. Otherwise I'll have to put the three of you in timeout when I get home."

"They'll behave." Bri wrapped her arms around her dad and squeezed him tightly. "You be safe alright dad? I'll have to put you in timeout if I find out you were careless and got hurt. I love you." She kissed his cheek and smiled. "Now, come on. We still gotta pick up Juice on the way to our destination."

"Juice is my daddy." Javier looked at Camryn and smiled. "He knows your daddy! He has a funny haircut like I do."

"Juice is a silly name." Camryn giggled and shook her head. "I like your hair. It's cool."

He nodded. "Thank you babe." He kissed her cheek and grinned. "Let's all go get in the car! I'm ready to go have fun!"

 **.**

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"We're going to this kid's arcade place, it's like Chuck E Cheese's but more expensive." Bri looked at Jacey and smiled. "Thanks for coming out with us. It means alot to me and and Javi Baby." She nodded as she steered the full SUV towards their destination. "Also, who in their right mind let me buy a damn Escalade ext… Like I love how big it is but I suck at driving it."

"When did my son get married?" Juice leaned forward and looked between the blonde and the brunette. "Or is it not finalized yet?"

Bri looked at him and grinned. "The wedding hasn't happened yet but they're basically married already. Aren't they cute as fuck together? The are like picture perfect."

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, they are cute together. Kinda like a mini version of Jacey and Happy but like with a weird twist because he has my hair."

"Oh don't remind me." Bri shook her head. "I didn't want him to have that haircut. I wanted him to have long luxurious hair today. It would've been epic for the birthday pictures."

He shrugged. "Sorry about it Brianna but I had to give my son what he wanted." He grinned as he sat back in his seat. "Eyes on the road, we don't want you to crash. Isn't that right Jacey?"

"Hey, I am a decent ass driver." Bri nodded. "Jacey, tell him I've only crashed like five times in college."

The blonde shook her head. "I mean, I'm just trying to play this game right now. I'm not paying enough attention to either of your shenanigans." She shrugged. "By the way, Camryn's so going to be your daughter-in-law, Juicey, get over it. They're little loves!"

"I don't mind that at all." Juice shrugged as they pulled up to the arcade. "I'm so getting a million tickets and getting the biggest bear."

Camryn giggled. "No you're not! Me and my Javi Baby are! We're gonna get the biggest and bestest bear in there… You can get a smaller one though."

"What?" He looked back at the tiny blonde and grinned. "Well, I guess I can get the second biggest one!"

The little girl shook her head. "No no Juice Ortiz!" She flashed him a smile. "A small one."

"I'll take a small one, he'll fit better on my bike with me anyway." Juice smiled and shrugged. "Come on! Let's go in, I'm trying to beat everyone at skeetball!"

Jacey shook her head. "Not with her around… You know you're dealing with a baby Hap." She smirked at the man. "But you have fun now, don't let her kick your ass too bad."

"I'll stay away from her and just focus on beating you, Bri and Monica." He smirked. "Unless you're gonna sit out on the sideline with Kol."

Jacey shook her head, holding up the diaper bag. "He's strapped to my chest for the day so I can whoop Bri's ass at air hockey." She smiled at him. "Little man needs some fun anyway."

"I'm so not losing at air hockey." Bri shook her head. "I want to go on record saying that I'm just here to win a damn elephant or something. Oh and to celebrate my son's third birthday. He's my big boy now."

Camryn shook her head. "No aunt B… You are gonna lose against me and _my_ Javi Baby." She held her arms upward to Bri.

"First of all, you can't even see over the air hockey table." The brunette lifted her niece up. "That's _my_ Javi Baby, I'm just letting you borrow him."

Camryn gasped. "You never use the legs excuse! I can get a chair, B… Don't be ugly." She shook her head. "You wish that was the case, B."

"I could never be ugly." Bri smirked. "I'm setting you down now. You've really hurt my feelings and I can't deal with this right now. I'm going to sit in the Escalade and call my dad." She set Camryn back to her feet.

The little blonde shook her head. "I didn't mean it, B, I swear. Come back to me! I'll tell you the secrets to beat mommy…" She wrapped her arms around the brunette. "I'll make you elephant shaped waffles!"

"I think I'm too sad right now." The brunette looked down at the tiny blonde. "I forgive you though. Let's go inside. I still want to win enough tickets for an elephant."

Camryn grabbed Bri's hand and squeezed. "Cheer up, I like you better when you're smiley and happy and making silly jokes." She leaned her head against Bri's leg. "Don't be sad ok? It hurts my heart."

"I'm cheering up." Bri nodded as they walked into the arcade. "I got my favorite blondie holding my hand."

Jacey looked back and smiled before she passed her glaring son to Bri. "Let me get this ridiculous thing on, maybe work a cute smile out of him."

"Oh lord." She looked at Kol and smirked. "Looking just like another meanie face I know. When ya gonna talk to me and say Aunt Bri huh? Glare if you think I'm pretty, smile if you think I should stop talking to you."

Jacey poked at his cheeks. "He's so mean right now…" She shook her head. "Babe, say mommy first then you can call her whatever you want. Anything except _priss_ …"

"I think he can just call me Bri. I will cry if he calls me priss." Bri shook her head and shrugged. "Can you just have another baby and gift him or her to me J? I'll give you a generous baby shower gift if ya know what I mean."

Jacey nodded her head, shrugging slowly. "When do you want the baby? Does it matter who the father is or does it have to be with Hap?"

"It can be with a white boy." The brunette smiled. "Whenever you want to bless me with the baby, is fine with me. One kid with Hap is enough."

The blonde shrugged, nodding her head. "I'll call Frey later then huh?" She grinned, nodding again. "Put yourself in my shoes. I got two of 'em."

"The baby would be so beautiful." Bri chuckled. "You know, she asked if I could help her dye her hair purple for her tenth birthday. I told her I would just so I could see Happy freak out about it."

Jacey smiled, nodding her head. "Yes it would, let's go for another girl because I would die if I had to give birth to a baby boy that was as big as Frey." She laughed. "He'd have a heart attack."

"Yeah, I know he'd freak out badly. That's why I agreed to it. It's gonna be pastel purple." The brunette smirked. "Already got the supplies."

Jacey looked at Camryn and smirked. "Don't give me ideas… He'd _murder_ us."

"Toss in a few purple highlights in baby blondie's hair." Bri smiled. "It'd be lovely."

The blonde shook her head. "Red, she loves red. My sassy little angry thing." She grinned. "Baby loves her red, every shade."

"I have red in my bathroom from the time I thought I'd start fresh and be a redhead. It's like this blood red though." She nodded. "Okay, this place is way bigger than I thought it'd be and I already lost Juice and Javi."

Jacey took her son and put in the harness. "Ok well think about it… Come on, let's find them then go see about that ball pit." She grinned.

"Ehh, let them bond and cause trouble together." Bri shrugged as she lifted Camryn up. "Have you seen my other kid C? Where did my Monkey go?"

Camryn shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not babysitting her!" She shook her head. "I was waiting for us to beat mommy at the basketball game."

"Well okay." Bri nodded. "We can beat her at the basketball game. I just need to find my Monkey first." She set Camryn back down. "I don't want her being stolen."

Camryn nodded her head. "MONKEY! MONKEY!" She shouted. "MONKEY!"

"Yes!?" Monica popped up behind Camryn. "What do you need?"

The little blonde turned slowly. "My B wants you."

"I won some tickets already." The brunette smiled and shrugged. "What game are we gonna go play now? You want some of my tokens Cam?"

Camryn shrugged. "Do you wanna play the wheel thing with me? I want lots of tickets!" She nodded, holding her hand out for Monica. "Or the rainbow game!"

Monica grabbed her hand. "We can play whatever game you want. I got fifty dollars worth of tokens. We'll win lots of tickets and you'll get that giant teddy bear over there!"

"Let's switch off, play something we each want, k?" Camryn smiled up at her sister and nodded. "I want the big teddy bear for Javi Baby or or or that giant huge Dino!"

"Good idea." She nodded and smiled. "How 'bout you win him the huge Dino and I win him the giant teddy bear?"

Jacey watched the girls run off and shook her head. "They're so much better at it than us… Holy shit."

"I know. I hate them for it." Bri smirked. "Come on, let's hold hands and make up. I don't know what we're making up for but maybe we can just bank this moment for the future."

The blonde shrugged. "We can make up for you growling at me last night when all I wanted was a hug…" She smirked, kissing Bri's head. "Don't worry, I can definitely forgive you."

"Good, I'm glad all is forgiven." Bri smiled. "Come on, let's go win some tickets, I'm trying for the elephant over there."

Jacey looked down as she heard Kol whining. "That's his way of saying it's all his…" She kissed the baby's head.

"He can fight me for the elephant." She shrugged. "I want that elephant. To add to my collection I started."

The blonde held her free hand to Kol. "You know all he has to do is give you gummy grin and you're melting."

"Fine, he can have the elephant. I died thinking about his gummy smile." Bri chuckled and shook her head. "I'll have Jax buy me an elephant later."

The blonde laughed, watching the baby boy hold out his hand to Bri. "Told you he loves you… Hold his hand so he can be happy."

"There ya go." Bri grabbed Kol's hand. "You're a sweet little handsome thing. You're gonna make all the girls go crazy. You're gonna drive your mama up the wall when you bring home some little hoodrat."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "You are going to her killed, putting that bad voodoo on me, Brianna. My baby doesn't need a girl."

"I'm just keeping it real." She pulled Jacey towards the basketball games. "You ready to get competitive?"

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Shush, hoe… He's mine forever." She nodded. "You ready to get your ass beat?"

"Until some chick with a nice ass and tits to match comes into his life." Bri shrugged. "I'm ready to put up a good fight. I won't get my ass beat by too much."

The blonde shook her head. "She's three, babe, there's still a slight hope that they'll divorce and you can get your baby boy back." She laughed. "You so aren't ready for him to grow up.."

"They're growing up and leaving me already." Bri huffed as she looked at the game. "Javi wants to spend all his time with Cam or his dad. Monica wants to spend time with Happy, Elijah, friends or alone. They're not even teens yet and they already want me out of their lives."

Jacey shook her head. "They don't want you out, they want others in too. My daughter is more attached to Happy than me, hell she favors you over me most of the time. But I'm still ok with it because she doesn't let anyone see her finished pictures but me. Hap's grounded from her pictures since he didn't like the color she used on one of them. Don't even get me started on this guy. I love how he's a whiny mess without me."

"I dunno, I think they want me out." Bri shrugged. "I just want my Monkey to cling on me like old times and my Javi Baby to follow me around like a tiny shadow."

Jacey shrugged. "You have a niece that hates life if she doesn't see you everyday and a nephew that tries to smile at you…"

"I know. I love those two to death." Bri smiled. "Half the time I wanna steal your kids and make them mine, if we're being honest here."

The blonde laughed a little. "I'd be ok with it, until I got cold lonely from lack of love and cuddles."

"I'd still cuddle with you and stuff." The brunette grinned. "It'll be like old times when we used to stay in on Sunday nights and just cuddle and watch old movies while snacking and talking. We need a friendship day, just you and me, doing hoodrat shit together and hopefully avoiding being arrested this time around."

Jacey laughed again, nodding. "God I miss those days. We were so cute with our little routines and our Tuesday dinner dates. I miss it so much." She smiled. "Yes, let's do it! I vote we try to avoid a grounding from dad as best we can."

"How about we get some matching tattoos? We always wanted to but never did. Dad is so gonna be busy for the next few weeks. We can go crazy, we just risk Elijah coming after our asses." Bri chuckled. "I guess that's just as bad though."

She shook her head. "Elijah still pops me, fuck yes he's worse. What tattoos would we get?" She smiled.

"Hmm, the other day Elijah called me neurotic to dad. They were talking so much shit about me. Like little bitches." Bri shook her head. "We're gonna get _ride or die_ tattooed somewhere."

Jacey started laughing. "I will kick their asses, babe, don't worry!" She kissed Bri's head. "That's so perfect!"

"I think Elijah killed my husband." Bri shrugged. "Yeah? We just need to find a tattoo artist to do the work. We can go to the one that did my leg piece, he's dope but talks quite a bit."

The blonde furrowed her brows. "You're not sure?" She nodded. "Or Hap… We may not be together but he's still a good artist."

"Okay, I _know_ he did it." She shook her head and shrugged. "Yeah, we can have Happy do it. I need some bestie face to face time with him. I haven't finished glaring at him yet. What? Don't judge me."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Ok, where's this coming from?" She shook her head. "He was working on a piece for us, before we broke up."

"I heard him basically own up to that shit. Like they thought I went upstairs to my room but I just walked halfway up the stairs and sat down." Bri nodded. "On a piece for you and him? That's so damn adorable. I know I may get hit for saying this but I hope you two make up soon. Even though I'm gonna miss living with you and the babies."

Jacey shook her head. "Do you want to talk about it or did you just want me to know your opinion?" She nodded. "I don't want to make up yet, or anytime soon rather. I just want to figure out a plan for the kids."

"I just needed to tell someone." Bri smiled. "That's understandable. The plan is that you guys are gonna stay with me and my babies forever and we can let Happy visit them. You don't have to be around still if you don't want to."

The blonde nodded her head. "Well I think that you should talk to him… You think we could actually make a trip somewhere? Somewhere we love."

"Yes, we can go somewhere. What about to that little beach house in Oceanside? We spent nearly two months there one summer, laying around the beach and living it up at night." Bri grinned. "We can switch out the partying thing for movie nights with the kids."

The blonde shrugged, looking down at her baby. "I was thinking a little further off the map."

"Greece it is!" Bri nodded. "I've been trying to get you to agree to go since before you were pregnant with Miss Camryn."

Jacey laughed. "We weren't even sure about her yet and that was a trip to take if Hap didn't want anything to do with her…" She smiled, shaking her head. "I was thinking Russia."

"Well fuck, bend me over and call me Katarzyna." Bri laughed. "Yes, let's go to Russia, when do you wanna go?"

She laughed, covering Kol's ears. "Watch your damn mouth, I'll bend you over later." She rolled her eyes. "Maybe tomorrow or whenever we coerce Elijah to buy all the tickets."

"Promise?" The brunette smirked. "I can buy the tickets, no need to get Elijah involved."

Jacey shook her head. "Of course… You know I'm always down for whatever." She shrugged. "Shit shush. I want to aggravate him."

"Oh helllll yeaaah." Bri nodded as she watched Camryn and Javi come towards them. "I guess they ditched Monica… I'll get Elijah to the house though, you can ask him to do the tickets and itinerary."

She shrugged. "What about Kol? Can Elijah get shit done in time?"

"Yeah, he can get it done in time." Bri smiled. "He works fast. It'll be a good time for the whole family. It'll be fun for you and Monica, you two can take pictures while me Camryn and Javi are out exploring." She nodded. "Nothing but fun times ahead."

 **to be continued…**

* * *

 **AN: This chapter is a super long one. It'll be continued depending on how much feedback this chapter receives.**

 **I do have to be** _ **that**_ **author, the one who threatens to stop a story because of the lack of stats but I cannot keep continuing this story if only one other person is reading it besides myself. It just doesn't make sense. Especially if I'm putting in effort to write a story that the readers requested me to write. Don't think I didn't forget the requests from over on Fated, asking for a sequel. I delivered the sequel but you guys haven't delivered the support or feedback. So if you really want this sequel to continue, show some support, take the extra twenty seconds and leave a review. Otherwise, I'm going to have to just remove this story from the site altogether.**


	22. Contiuation

"Good, I'm not leaving this handsome thing behind." She smiled, bending to be level with the toddlers. "Did you guys get tired of games?"

"Moni and dad kept beating us." Javier huffed. "So rude Aunt J, so rude!"

Jacey gasped. "What! That's terrible… You want me to hold all those tickets, baby? Go play some more, have your fun."

"Yes please!" Javier passed her his tickets. "I gotta go beat Monica! I gotta win my babe something cute."

The blonde smiled, nodding her head. "You go ahead, baby… I'll be here with your brother-in-law." She looked at Bri. "Can I melt now? Oh my god."

"He's good to her." Bri smiled. "It's fucking amazing. I need a boyfriend like him!"

Jacey nodded her head eagerly. "Where the hell do I get one?!"

"I dunno but the closest I'm gonna get to it is Jax." She shrugged. "I'm just gonna buy the stuffed animal from the prize girl person."

The blonde shrugged. "I'll keep dreaming, it's ok…" She smiled. "Cheating ass."

"We'll find you a Russian. There's suits all over Russia." Bri smiled. "You wanna get some cheese fries?"

Jacey shook her head. "Don't even get my hopes up right now… I'll talk to 'Lijah about one of his suits." She smiled, nodding. "Yes! I'm starving!"

"I think it's time you meet Elijah's brothers." Bri nodded. "Cheese fries with extra bacon!"

The blonde shook her head. "Yeah right… He'd kill me, Bri! Do you want me to die?" She laughed. "I could die over this. Give me some pizza too."

"No, I do want to get you a rebound fuck though." She laughed. "I'll buy you whatever you want. Yous my babygirl."

She nodded her head. "That I can handle… I could so use sex right now." She shrugged. "Let's get a whole pizza, pepperoni mushrooms bacon and some ranch."

"I can call you up a fine ass suit right now, just say the word." Bri smirked as they stopped in front of the snack bar. "We eat like fatasses, how are we not actually fat?"

Jacey shrugged. "You wouldn't do it. You want me and Hap back together. You wouldn't support me going off and fucking some - you know what? Call 'em." She nodded her head. "Because I go to the gym and keep shit together so I just have a fat ass." She smirked.

"Don't you wanna see a picture first?" Bri passed the blonde her phone. "He's handsome, he's almost as honorable as Elijah but he's got a reputation for being a little rough." She rolled her eyes. "Your ass still isn't as fat as mine."

Jacey eyed the phone and nodded her head. "Well fuck. Let's clarify though, how rough? Because there's just some things I don't tell you." She laughed. "Fuck you, I have a great ass. You can't keep your eyes off of it."

"Choking, smacking, that type of shit." The brunette smirked. "I know! I love your ass." She squeezed Jacey's ass and laughed. "It's perfect."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing's wrong with that at all… I support this so much."

"I know. The rough shit is amazing." Bri nodded. "Call him, right now."

The blonde laughed, nodding her head. "Trust me, I know. I don't want to look like some desperate hoe!" She shook her head.

"You don't look like some desperate hoe." She shook her head. "He's a suit, he will be just what you need."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Just get him here then, we'll also keep this between us. Not even Nik!"

"Just wait until you hear his accent." Bri looked up from her phone. "He can eat the pizza and fries with us. I won't tell Nik. I promise."

The blonde nodded her head. "Don't get me in trouble with dad either." She smirked. "I heard _he can eat_ and my mind was elsewhere. Stop."

"It's our secret, dad won't find out." Bri rolled her eyes and smirked. "You're such a whore. I love it."

She shook her head. "Who is he anyway?"

"Elijah's brother." Bri shrugged. "What? I thought you'd want another one."

Jacey covered her face. "Katarzyna Hohrykova! You're trying to get me killed, I swear… Oh god."

"Bitch, you just need to do it then tell me who was better." The brunette chuckled. "Come on!"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't say I was gonna back out. I'm not backing out, you just better keep your mouth closed. No one but you, me and the piece of work know!"

"Deal." Bri held her hand out. "He's on his way."

Jacey shook her sister's hand and shook her head. "I need to take this off, you have too much time on your hand."

"Don't call Kol a _this_." The brunette smiled. "Give him here, I need baby cuddles and baby babbles. Or whatever he does, he's too young to babble huh?"

Jacey laughed. "The thing. Not my handsome love." She shook her head. "He's only four months old, all he does is glare and sleep. Oh and eat, he loves eating."

"Man, he just gives me the worst baby fever." Bri sighed. "It's terrible."

The blonde laughed, passing her son to the brunette. "Be careful though. That cuddling is nothing to play with. He curls up and he's gone for hours. Just gotta rub his back, not head." She smiled.

"I'm keeping him. I don't even care Jacey. Can I make him mine?" Bri looked down at Kol. "Kol, how would you feel about being in a crazy Russian household, full time?"

Jacey laughed again. "He's on the source, he'd feel very upset." She looked back at the door briefly. "What'd you say to get him here?"

"You're moving in full time too, so like he can still pop a nip in his mouth." Bri laughed. "I told him that I needed help."

The blonde shrugged. "As long he gets his food, he's a happy little man." She smiled. "What's his damn name, Brianna?"

"His name is Roman." Bri smiled. "He looks amazing in a suit, so hopefully he's in one."

Jacey groaned. "Like Elijah amazing or?" She trailed off, cocking an eyebrow at the brunette. "What? What's that look?"

"Personally… I think Roman looks better in a suit. Casual suits Elijah better." Bri smiled and nodded. "You'll see, he just texted that he's parking now."

Jacey looked back at the door again and groaned again. "Shit. Ok, fine. I'm good… Why am I trying not to blush right now?"

"Because you're nervous. It's cute." She grinned. "Looooook, he's here."

The blonde looked back at the entrance and sighed. "He doesn't have to be perfect, damn…"

"You so owe me a solid now." Bri smirked. "He's like a walking Ken doll."

Jacey nodded her head. "I'll buy you an island.." She grinned as she looked back at Bri. "Why'd you never introduce him to me before?"

"Because I barely even got to know the guy. He's one of the recent suits that popped up, like I knew of him but I didn't really get to know him until a few months ago." Bri smiled. "You know how hard it was for me to not try to bone that man?"

Jacey started smirking. "Bet my brother would love to share you with him…" She shook her head. "He'd kill you. And him."

"Jax has made it very clear, he doesn't like sharing. I already asked him his feelings on the topic." Bri shrugged as she waved Roman over. "You ready for this Jacey?"

She shook her head. "He wouldn't ever even know if I maybe shared the fine ass Ken doll with you." She grinned briefly before nodding her head. "Yeah I am."

"Good afternoon ladies." Roman smiled at the pair. "Brianna, it's lovely to see you again." He turned his attention to Jacey. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm Roman."

Jacey smiled up at the very handsome man. "Nope, I don't believe so, I'm Jacey."

"Well, it a pleasure to meet you Jacey." He grinned. "Who's this little guy?"

The blonde looked at the sleeping baby in Bri's arms and smiled. "That's Kol, my son. She's trying to steal him from me." She scooted over in the booth. "Here, take a seat…"

"Still up to the baby stealing ways?" Roman smirked at Brianna. "We were at a hospital a few months back, took two of us to get her out of the nursery. She had already started changing the poor things' names."

Jacey cocked an eyebrow at the brunette. "I'm going to - wait a few months, Kol was still there? Did you visit him?" She shook her head. "She's lucky he loves her, otherwise he'd be screaming his head off wanting me."

"Yeah, I visited with my nephew. He was the first baby I wanted to bust out, I was gonna bring him to you. Roman had to escort me out of there before I got arrested." Bri smiled and shrugged. "Then another visit, I tried taking the other babies from the hospital to cause a distraction while I tried to get him to steal Kol. It didn't work out, Roman and Igor dragged me out. What? Don't look at me like that."

Jacey started laughing. "Babe! You can't just steal babies… Especially Kol. He needed the hospital, ya fool." She looked around the arcade before looking back at Roman. "You might meet his older sister at some point."

"She had the head doctor believing she was a neonatal specialist straight from Russia." Roman chuckled as he nodded. "How old is his sister?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Bri! No! Just cuddle him and no more nursery visits." She laughed. "She's three, you actually might be able to point her out. Blonde curly hair, tan but piercing little blue eyes."

"I just want six more brunette babies and maybe a blonde one." Bri sighed. "She's around here with Javier, Monica and Juice. Look, our food is being brought to us Jacey!"

Jacey sighed, looking at the pizza. "Do you know how bad I needed pizza in my life?" She shook her head. "Here, give me Kol so you can eat."

"Nooo." Bri popped Jacey's hand. "I wanna keep him. You can eat."

The blonde cocked an eyebrow at her sister. "Brianna, he's going to wake up and get loud as hell with you. You won't have what he's looking for." She shook her head. "Alright fine. You'll see just how mean he can be." She blew the brunette a kiss as she picked up a slice of pizza.

"Mom." Monica dropped down next to Brianna and rested her head on the table before looking up at Roman and Jacey. "Uncle Roman!" She smiled at him before looking at Jacey. "You're not afraid that mom is gonna kidnap Kol?"

Jacey shook her head. "Nope, she's about to get a mean little man on her heads and she will hand him back."

"Can I hold him?" She smiled at the blonde. "Please?"

The blonde nodded slowly. "Sure just be very careful and let your mom help you."

Monica nodded as her mom passed her the baby boy. "He's heavier than I thought he'd be." She smiled down at him. "He looks like his dad. It's cool."

"Yeah he does, a lot. Except his blue eyes." She smiled before turned onto Roman. "You wanna be next?" She inquired, a smirk on her face.

Roman shook his head. "No. I like kids but I suck at holding them."

"Ah well that's no good." Jacey looked at Bri. "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be back." She looked back at Roman, watching him slowly move.

"I don't mean to seem like a creep." Roman spoke as he reached Jacey. "Following after you… I just wanted to say that I think you're absolutely gorgeous."

The blonde looked back briefly before turning around, looking up at the man. "Really? Well that's sweet of you, thank you."

"Yeah, no problem." He nodded. "Just had to get it out."

Jacey smiled, shrugged her shoulders. "If we're being honest, I think you're a walking Ken doll and you're incredibly good looking."

"Thank you." Roman grinned. "I personally think I look my best out of the suit getup."

She shrugged again, smiling. "I'd have to see both sides of you to really judge it." She nodded. "But you are handsome."

"The suit is a formality, I'm trying not to get fired from my job." He chuckled and shook his head. "If it were up to me, I'd be in jeans and tshirt handling my business."

Jacey reached forward, fixing his tie. "You look good so it's ok. Just don't get any blood on the shirt." She smirked at him. "Maybe I'll see you in jeans and t-shirt one day."

"Yeah, one day soon." Roman nodded as he rubbed his hand over her cheek and smiled. "You wanna get together for lunch or something one day? An adult lunch, not that I don't love the lights and noise of an arcade."

The blonde smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah, that sounds great… I'll get Bri to watch Camryn and Kol. Just let me know when and we'll get together." She eyed him carefully.

"Take my number yeah?" He passed her a business card. "Seems a bit formal but who has time to be trading phones these days?"

Jacey nodded her head, accepting the business and slipping it into her bra. "I will, I'll definitely be in touch." She smiled up at him.

"Perfect." Roman smiled back at her. "I hope you put it to use. If not, I may just shed a tear."

 **June 30, 2012**

"Jax and I have been official for thirteen days." Bri mumbled as she looked at her sister Nik. "I feel like I'm a little fucking freshmen again, counting the days and shit. It's insane, right? Tell me that I'm insane!"

Nik laughed and shook her head. "It's not insane, it's cute actually. It's a new and fresh relationship. You're owning it. Keep counting the days and shit. Celebrate a one month anniversary if you damn well please. You're happy, you're having fun. It's good for you Brianna."

"Good because I go to sleep smiling, wake up smiling. Everything is just perfect and I love it." She smiled as she crawled back into her bed and looked at her sister. "Are you really excited about getting your baby in November? I know I'm excited for you!"

"Yeah. I'm excited." Nik nodded and smiled widely. "I just really want to hold her and love on her. I already know the baby is gonna be this gorgeous little girl. I'm so looking forward to the hugs, cuddles, love and whatnot."

"We need to have a baby shower but not until after the baby is here possibly. Like I think Aracely would want to keep the baby if she is part of the shower. I don't mean to sound like a bitch but it's sorta true." Bri sighed as she trailed her fingers through Nik's long blonde hair. "I don't want anyone to take away this thing that you and Anthony deserve."

"You better have a baby too. I heard of miracle ones." The blonde laughed as she trailed a finger over her sister's nose. "A little miracle baby. It'll be amazing."

"Oh shut up. I will cry if I find out that I'm pregnant then I'll be happy about it but mostly cry because I've been doing research and like the list of complications is scary. Like the biggest complication is miscarriage. Like I could end up pregnant but lose the baby." She shook her head and sighed again. "Let's just go to sleep. I'm so over this plus, I need a good night's rest. I have a Monkey's birthday to start planning."

"Avoidance isn't the answer." Nik shook her head as she cuddled up to Bri. "But I'll let you slide this time but next time we're really gonna talk about this shit Brianna. It's going to have to be something you face and accept, especially if you want kids with Jax in the future."

Bri nodded. "Yes, I know this Nik." She smiled. "I'm gonna face it eventually, I promise. I promise, I won't run away from it next time we get on this topic but it is three in the morning and I have to be at work at ten. I need at least five hours of sleep to be awake and aware, I have to perform another procedure. God bless my soul, I'm pro choice but this still makes my heart ache at times. Good night Nik. I love you."

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 **AN: Thanks for the reviews last chapter. Also, this was a short filler chapter. It was the continuation of the last chapter plus a little bit of Nik and Bri bonding again. I love those two together.**


	23. Monica

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 **thank you for the feedback on the last two chapters. it was appreciated but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter even more.  
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 **July 4, 2012**

"I hope my kids don't blow any fingers or limbs off." Bri shook her head as she watched Juice help Monica and Javier light sparklers. "Oh thank God, it's just the lame fireworks." She sighed as she patted her chest and looked over at Elijah who was sipping on a beer. "Since when the hell do you drink beer Elijah?"

Elijah shrugged. "Ever since my girlfriend told me she was pregnant and I decided that I'd never drink hard liquor again." He chuckled as he set the beer down. "When do the real fireworks start? I never thought you'd be the type to just opt for the fireworks from the stands on the side of the street. Overpriced and lackluster."

"Aww." She squeezed his hands and smirked. "You knocked her up while drunk huh? That's classy and honorable Elijah."

"Hush Brianna." He shook his head as he picked up his beer again. "Did you get the invitation to the baby shower? Kaia is looking forward to having you be part of it."

She nodded slowly. "I did get the invitation and I told her that I would make an appearance drop by with a gift, show face, then I have to go because I have to work that day and there's no way for me to request the day off."

"That's good enough." He shrugged. "She basically has what she needs already. She's been shopping since she found out it was a girl. Even is trying to find the _perfect_ name for her. We got the DNA test back, the baby is mine."

"I figured as much. She's not smart enough to fuck another guy, get pregnant then pin it to you. You're too good with dates and all that shit." Bri laced her fingers through his and sighed. "You're gonna be a daddy. To think that I always thought you and Jacey were gonna be the ones who had the babies."

"'Lijah." Monica stopped in front of the pair. "Can I sit with you? The firework show is about to start. Juice and Iggy said so."

"Of course." Elijah nodded as he let the nine year old sit on his lap. "Are you excited about the fireworks? You always loved them back home."

"Yeah I am." She nodded and smiled. "I liked them, they're calming and pretty. I got my cameras set up, I'm going to record the show then take screen caps and use them for my next photobook project. Or something to hang on my room wall."

"That'll be cute baby." Bri smiled at her daughter. "I think you need to really consider doing a junior photographers course at the middle school. Remember your principal offered to sign you up for it for the fall. I think it'll be good for you."

"I will do it." Monica nodded as the first fireworks started to go off. "I think I wanna be an art teacher too. I also kinda wanna teach dance but I think art and photography are something I'm better at but I love being a ballerina. I wanna do them all."

"Remember, never limit yourself." Elijah kissed Monica's temple. "You'll go as far as you allow yourself to. Make sure you get as much experience and education in each of the fields so when you go to find your career, you find the one you love the most. You hear me my love?"

"Yeah." She leaned back against the man and smiled. "I hear you loud and clear!"

"God I love her so much." Elijah smiled at Brianna. "She makes me want to try new hobbies and find something I love more than being a suit."

Bri nodded. "Is there something you love more than being a suit?"

"Before I was a suit, I was in the military and before that I was quite good at taming horses." He nodded. "I don't think this is where you suggest I find a ranch somewhere and tame horses. I think I would like to take up sculpting, something to keep my hands busy."

"I can get on board with that." She smiled. "We'll take a trip to the craft store tomorrow. Set you up with all that you need to get started, see what talent you have. Maybe we can take a class together. You know that I love starting new hobbies each season."

He chuckled. "I know you do. You took up knitting when you were pregnant with Monica, then the following season you learned how to cross stitch, then sew and so on and so forth." He wrapped his arms around Monica and smiled. "I'm all for us making the trip together. How are things between you and Juice? You guys on the same page with the parenting and all that?"

"Just you and I, Elijah. I have something serious to talk about with you anyway." Bri grinned at the man. "Juice and I are doing better, we're communicating and parenting well as you can see he's happy and Javier is happy. I don't have to worry my head off about him being ok anymore . It's quite lovely if I do say so myself."

Elijah nodded slowly, trying to figure out what the brunette could possibly need to talk with him about. "That's sounds to to me. I'm all for us talking and bonding like old times Brianna. Now, shall we continue to enjoy the fireworks in silence before Monica shushes us?"

 **July 5, 2012**

"When did you get a Bentley?" Elijah asked Bri as she walked towards him. "I thought Audis were your thing?"

Bri shrugged as she looked back at the black Bentley and shrugged. "It was a gift to myself. I thought I'd try something different for once. I thought I'd buy something more expensive than a house." She smiled as she grabbed Elijah's hand and tugged him towards the craft store. "We're gonna talk while we shop so I know you can't get mad and yell at me and run off."

"Are you pregnant?" He inquired as he watched the brunette grab a shopping cart. "Because if you are, I'll have to advise you to go lay in bed and relax."

"No." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not pregnant. Why would your mind go to that place? I wanted to know why you killed my husband… I heard you and my dad talking way back when, I always meant to ask you about it but I never wanted an actual answer until now."

Elijah stopped and looked at the brunette briefly before regaining his composure. "Because you and Monica needed a way out and with every day he was around you were growing more and more miserable and cagey. I did what I needed to get you and Monica out of the situation you were both in. You can hate me for it but I did it for you two."

"Alright, I just needed to know that you did it for a solid reason and not because of any bullshit one." Bri smiled at the man. "Thank you Elijah, for getting us out of that situation and into a way better place. It's appreciated."

He nodded before pulling the brunette into a tight hug. "You don't have to thank me for it. It was the honorable thing to do." He kissed her forehead before pulling out of the hug. "I would do it again without hesitation."

"I love you Elijah." She grinned at him before tugging on his tie. "Now, let's get you all your pottery supplies. I expect you to make me a bowl or a vase or something for my desk in my office. Something to hold all the jolly ranchers I'm always popping like crazy."

"I want to talk with you about Monica's birthday." Elijah followed after the brunette, his eyes on her exposed skin, admiring the intricate details of the tattoo she had covering her back. "I still want to take her to see the Russian ballet but I don't think I can because I have Kaia to worry about. Any other suggestions for a surprise I can do for her?"

"Yeah, get her a camera." Bri smiled back at the man. "And a shit load of crafting items, she lives for the artsy, scrapbooking, photo book shit. A camera, film, paper, books, all of it. We can go down those aisles next. She's gonna be ten, she's not difficult to please. She just needs us to support her creativity, you can help her set up a photo mosaic above her bed at your house. It'll be fun for her."

"I just got her one not too long ago but I guess a photographer can never have too many quality cameras." He smiled as he watched the brunette focus on the items in her hands. "You have no idea what you're doing huh?"

"Not a single clue but I googled some shit last night." She shrugged as she dropped both items into the cart and smiled. "You would think that I would remember this shit from high school, I took a pottery class back then. I made my dad a God awful trinket box but he cherishes that thing forever. You might have seen it, it has this gold A on the top and he keeps his watch and rings in it."

Elijah nodded. "I know that box quite well. He never travels without it. I never knew you made it for him though. It had good craftsmanship Brianna, don't discredit your artistic talent. You're an artist in your own right, you did make people gorgeous before you switched areas of study."

The brunette nodded and grinned. "You have a point. Can I ask you another question? It's not related to our past or anything. It's about me and Jax actually. Do you think we're moving too fast? I had a run in with his mom and she was saying that he cheated and before that Jacey had brought up him having almost knocked up his ex girlfriend Tara who he cheated on his wife Wendy with. You remember Wendy right?"

"I honestly think it's a normal pace for you." He shrugged. "I think you need to bring up these other concerns with Jax if they're weighing on your mind and keeping you from being completely trusting in him. Given your background, I wouldn't blame you for having some outstanding trust issues already."

"Yeah." Brianna nodded slowly as she studied Elijah carefully. "You're right. I'll talk to him about it. Now, let's finish up here and let's head back to the house."

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Monica stood at the edge of the pond in the backyard of the Fortress, her camera in front of her face as she tried to find the perfect shot. She had been at it for the last two hours, wandering about the massive backyard and taking pictures of everything that caught her eye. She was experimenting with her newest lenses and cameras that she had gotten from Elijah at the start of the summer. "Come on, where are all the stupid ducks?" She huffed as she lowered the camera and looked around for another location.

"I think they're all under the trees over there. They like the shade as much as they love the sun and water." Elijah smiled down at the brunette. "You enjoying your lazy day? Being out here and taking all the pictures you can?"

She nodded. "I love it." She smiled back at him before grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the trees. "I just wanted to get some cool pictures of the ducks. I got this awesome picture of a garter snake in the garden." She held up the camera and started going through the gallery. "See, he's so tiny and cute. I was gonna try to catch him but I thought it would be better off staying in the garden."

"We should enter you into some competitions. I think you have the talent to win some in your age group." He lifted the brunette off her feet and nodded. "What do you think? We can look up some online and see how it goes. They can sometimes even earn you scholarships to go to art school. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Yeah. I would love that." Monica nodded eagerly as she ran her hands through Elijah's hair and smiled. "I want to go to USC though, I dunno or Notre Dame. I already started looking up colleges and stuff. You can never be prepared too early. Let's look for some comps, I want to win them all. I want to enter a family portrait, you know how I took pictures of all of the members of the family? I want to combine them into something and submit it. I also want my own gallery when I'm in high school. I wrote down all my goals in a journal just like the therapist told me to."

"Trojan or Fighting Irish, two very good choices for unis." Elijah smiled as he made his way back to the house, picking up Monica's bag of camera equipment as he went. "I think you're absolutely right though, it's never too early to be looking into colleges and career paths you're interested in. It'll make the college application process that much easier when you're older. I know you're going to go amazing places and meet all your goals."

She smiled and nodded. "Just don't tell anyone yet because I don't need my dad freaking out about me already looking at colleges." She laughed and shook her head as he sat her at the island in the kitchen and opened his matte black Macbook. "I think I want to see if there are any competitions before or after my birthday. I'm gonna be ten, halfway to twenty which is pretty cool, dontcha think?"

He sat down next to her and nodded. "I think it's pretty cool. I remember when I was twenty, I was in the Russian Army." He shrugged as he began typing. "Look, there's one that's a day before your birthday, that means you're still eligible to be in the competition. It's category for your age group is a black and white selfportrait. You think you can do that Monica?"

Monica nodded as she set the camera down next to the laptop and smiled. "Yes! Those are my favorite types of self portraits, I take them all the time. I have a whole box of them under my desk. They're all my favorites. I take one each day because I'm gonna put them in a big book and flip through it when I'm like sixteen." She trailed her fingers through her wavy hair, her green eyes scanning the words on the laptop's screen. "I'm going to win this one Elijah, I can really feel it."

Elijah smiled. "I have faith. I know you're going to win it as well Monica. I say we take a trip to the camera store and see if we can't find some new lenses to mess around with. Maybe you can even give me some lessons on how to use and develop film."

"I can do that Eli. I can be your teacher." She slid off the stool. "We can go as soon as we finish signing me up for that comp. I really want to do well at it. I have to tell my mom and Jax. You want to come with me, they're sitting in the living room, probably being gross and kissing each other _again_." She smirked as she rolled her eyes.

"You're all signed up, now let's go tell them." He slid off his own stool and grabbed the brunette's hand and allowed her to lead him out of the kitchen and towards the living room. "I think I'll buy a camera of my own when we get to the camera shop."

The nine year old nodded and smiled as she stopped in front of her mom and Jax. "Blah, they're asleep! That's no fun at all." She pointed at Javi who was sandwiched comfortably between the pair. "It's a cute Javi Baby sandwich." She laughed and shook her head as she started backing out of the room. "I guess we'll just tell them when we get back. Come on my love, let's get out of this house and to the camera shop."

He chuckled as he lifted her back up and situated her on his hip. "I got your camera and bag. I think we're ready to get this trip on the road." Elijah smiled and nodded as he walked towards the front door. "We'll stop for dinner on the way back and bring them food back as well. But right now, we're focused on the two of us. Elijah and Menchie's day."

"Absolutely. Menchie and Elijah's day." Monica kissed the man's cheek and grinned widely as they walked out of the house. "It's gonna be amazing! Almost as good as my upcoming birthday. I love when we have our days together." She rested her head on his shoulder briefly before she was set down on her feet as he unlocked the car and helped her into the front passenger seat. "What? I get to finally ride in the front for real!? That's so cool." She watched him shut the door before he walked around the car and got into the driver's seat.

Elijah smiled at the brunette and nodded. "You're old enough for the front seat now. Let's enjoy the ride to Berkeley. I'll take the scenic route, so have your camera out and ready." He squeezed her hand before he pulled out of the driveway. He had to admit, he felt his best when he was with the nine year old that he had been around since she was born. It relaxed him, made him happy and most of all helped him forget about anything and everything that wasn't important to him. He just hoped he felt the same when his daughter was born in a few months.


	24. Monica II

**July 31, 2012**

"You look absolutely gorgeous." Brianna wiped at her eyes as she looked at her daughter. "I don't even know why I'm crying but I am but like I don't even care right now because damn you're fucking gorgeous my dear." She ran a hand over Monica's long pin straight auburn hair and smiled again. "You're gonna be photographed for sure, my up and coming socialite. The littlest Hohrykova."

Monica nodded as she tried her best to keep her own tears from falling, she didn't want to ruin her makeup. She was finally allowed to have mascara and eyeliner on again and she didn't want to chance messing it up before she got her photo-op. "Mom, you're going to make me cry! I don't wanna cry." She shook her head as she hugged her mom's waist and smiled. "I can't believe we get to go see a real life Russian Ballet performance in the city."

"I can't help it baby, red is your color." Bri nodded as she finished wiping her face. "I'm stopping right now, the tears are drying up. I promise, no more crying babe. I know, it's amazing huh? Our home country is coming to us and we get front row seats to watch the show. It's all gonna be fun and amazing. We can even get pictures and talk to some of the ballerinas after the performance. I know you're going to love that part as much as you're going to love the performance."

The nine year old smiled. "I'm ready to see them dance Romeo and Juliet." She nodded as she fiddled with the skirt of her dress before tapping her feet together, the black Prada ballet flats not making even a slight sound. "It's going to be amazing, yeah?"

"Absolutely." Bri nodded as she grabbed her daughter's hand. "It's a good way to kick off your birthday huh? A ballet you've been dying to see and in a few days you'll be eating cake and turning ten. I can't believe you're going to be ten. It's like yesterday I was giving birth to you. Elijah was pacing the room, all nervous and jittery. I couldn't get him to sit down for a damn thing." She chuckled. "God, it was an amazing day though."

"He told me the story." Monica nodded. "He said I had the most gorgeous green eyes that he had ever seen." She smiled as they walked into the foyer to see Elijah standing there in his suit, Kaia at his side, her baby bump on full display. "'Lijah! I can't believe we're gonna see Romeo and Juliet, can you believe it? I got my hair straightened like mom's do you like it?"

Elijah smiled down at her and nodded slowly. "I can very much believe it. I'm excited for it. I got us the best seats in the house. You're going to love every moment of it Monica. It's a breathtaking ballet. I do love your hair, you look so much like your mom it's pretty much insane. As close to a carbon copy of her as one can get." He dropped down to her level and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I even love the eye makeup my dear. It makes your green eyes pop even more."

"Thank you." She flashed him a satisfied grin as she kissed his cheek. "Come on! I don't wanna be late. I gotta get a few programs, then a snack if they have some." She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the door. "Come on mom, come on Kaia. We have to head there right now. I need to be early."

"Let's follow after the princess." Bri smiled at Kaia before walking out of the house ahead of her. "Are we all riding together." She disarmed her Bentley and smiled. "We can take my car. It's parked in the front of the pack anyway. I promise I will drive carefully but fast at the same time."

"I will drive the Bentley, you can ride in the back with Monica, she's gonna need a hand to squeeze." He took the keys from the brunette and smirked. "Everyone in the car and let's head out to the ballet. It's bound to be packed. Kaia, you and I can skip the little red carpet session. I mean, you can walk on it but I'm not going to."

Kaia nodded as she got into the car. "I'm skipping the carpet. I don't feel up for walking it. I'm saving all my energy to be excited for the ballet. I'm looking forward to trying to meet some of the ballerinas and ballerinos."

"Cheese." Monica took a picture of herself and her mom before setting the camera down in her lap and watching the picture slowly develop. "I love this Hello Kitty camera soo much, it's big but perfect."

"That's a cute picture." Bri looked at it and smiled. "We look like some assassins right now. I love it so much."

"Yeah we do huh?" The brunette smiled as she looked at the picture before sliding it into the Louis Vuitton purse her mom had given her. "I'm gonna put it on the photo wall when we get back home. I love it. I can't wait to get there. I'm too hype."

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"That was _amazing_!" Monica shouted as she pulled off her ballet flats as she moved into her mom's bedroom. "Thank you again. I can't believe I actually got to go to my first real ballet. It just makes me want to dance so much more. Did you see Juliet? She was gorgeous and amazing. I want to dance that part when I'm older mom."

Bri chuckled as she pulled her daughter to her and wiped off the mascara and eyeliner. "I can see it. You're going to look amazing dancing that part, maybe you can dance it when you're in high school. You just gotta stick with ballet, put in the time in effort with it like you do photography nowadays. You hear me darling?"

"I hear you." She nodded as she let her mom help her out of the dress. "I get more pointe classes this year. The new teacher says I have gorgeous lines and amazing feet for my age. She also lets me take pictures of the other classes. I have some hanging in the entryway of the academy. It's pretty awesome."

"I can't wait to see you perform the nutcracker again this year. I loved it last year." The brunette smiled as she helped her daughter into one of her shirts. "You look absolutely gorgeous right now too Monkey." She trailed her fingers through the nine year old's hair before braiding it back into two long french braids. "You're my little sleeping beauty."

"You're so mushy." Monica shook her head and laughed as she curled into Bri's side and draped an arm over her stomach before yawning. "Today was an amazing day. I don't know what can top it on my actual birthday."

Bri smirked as she stroked Monica's cheek slowly. "You're just gonna have to wait and see what happens." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I love you Monica, sweet dreams my love bug."

 **August 3, 2012**

"It's your birthday! You're ten! We're off to a better start this year because you're not sick at all baby girl!" Bri lifted her daughter out of her oversized bed and spun her around before peppering her face with kisses. "You are inching closer to the angsty teen years. I'm not ready for it, just please, please slow down my love."

Monica laughed and shook her head. "I want to hit fifteen and a half so I can get my learners and learn how to drive! I'm counting down the days mom." She wrapped her arms around her mom's neck and smiled brightly as she was carried out of her bedroom and slowly down the stairs. "I love you mom."

"I love you too. We're gonna have some fun today. I promise, we got all your favorites for breakfast, lunch, dinner. We have some presents for you to open, some people stopping by for you to see and hug on while they congratulate you on making it another year with a crazy woman for a mom." She chuckled as she padded into the kitchen and set Monica on a stool at the island. "Birthday breakfast for my little princess."

"Happy birthday Monica." Javier smiled up at his older sister before passing her a present. "I got you a present, my dad helped me get it for you. He said you'd like it a lot because you're a girl." He giggled as he covered his mouth. "Open it Mo!"

She laughed as she opened the tiny black box and looking at it carefully before looking at her younger brother. "I absolutely love it because I'm a girl." She slipped the delicate ring out of the box and onto her finger, the rose gold band and yellow diamond M catching the light streaming through the large bay window in the kitchen. "It's gorgeous Javi. I love you." She kissed his nose and nodded. "Tell your dad for me, if you see him before I do."

"Are you gonna cry? Don't cry." He shook his head as he sat on his knees to look at his sister's plate of food. "Can I have a bite of your waffle sticks? Please?"

"Yeah." Monica nodded as she swallowed the lump in her throat before putting a few waffle sticks on a smaller plate for her brother. "You like this syrup too? Mom warmed it up so it won't make the waffles cold." She drizzled the syrup over the sticks and smiled as Javier picked one up and started to chew on it. "They're the most perfect waffles ever. Crisp on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside."

"Let me see the ring." Bri grabbed her daughter's hand and smiled down at the gorgeous piece of jewelry. "It's gorgeous, I love it. It's so you baby."

"I love it, I'm gonna wear it forever. I'll wear it around my neck when I'm older and it can't fit." The ten year old smiled as she started to eat her breakfast. "I can't wait to see what else I get. It's bound to be a day full of lovely presents and lots of hugs and kisses."

"Don't get greedy." She flicked Monica's head and smirked. "I know the suits are gonna spoil you, they always manage to do it."

"Where's my birthday girl?" Aleksandr stalked into the kitchen, a neatly wrapped gift under his arm as he stopped abruptly in front of Monica. "Happy birthday my dear. I got you a gift. I hope you love it and if not, I'll just return it for something you will love."

Monica smiled as she opened the present carefully. "I will love it, I know it." She nodded as she examined the box carefully. "You got me black pointe shoes!? And red ones!? Grandpa! I love them!" She hugged the large man and grinned widely. "Mom, I have black and red pointe shoes now!"

"That's not all." Frey and Igor spoke as they walked into the kitchen holding tutus. "We were too lazy to wrap them." Frey chuckled as he watched Monica's eyes go wide. "So, what's the verdict? You all about these tutus to match your pointe shoes?"

She nodded as she moved off of the stool and towards the pair of men, her fingers running over the delicate tulle. "I love them. I can't wait to put them to use in my next class. I'm gonna look so amazing. I'm gonna wear the black and channel the Black Swan. So channelling Mila Kunis and a hint of Natalie Portman."

The men looked at her and nodded, pretending that they knew what she was going on about. "I'm glad you love them." Igor nodded and smiled. "We had them imported from St. Petersburg, so they're basically as Russian as you are."

"Finish your breakfast now. We'll open more presents when we get home from lunch later." Bri tapped the island. "You need to finish it up, you can't be low on energy when it's your birthday. Finish eating, shower, then we'll find something to do with your hair before we continue on with presents and love."

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Monica looked at the pile of presents on her bed before dropping into the black fur beanbag chair as the foot of the bed as she pulled her notebook onto her lap, starting a list of people she needed to send thank you cards too. She knew that was something people only did for weddings and baby showers but couldn't help but want to be mature and sophisticated. Thanking people in writing to go with the verbal thanks she had already dished out throughout the entire day. She sighed as she tugged on the ends of her hair before looking back up at the presents. "My hand is gonna fall off after this."

"I doubt it." Grayson shook his head as he walked into the room and dropped down next to Monica. "I'll help you write whatever it is you're writing."

"Thank you notes." She nodded as she showed him the paper. "I want to be mature and send out thank you notes. I gotta thank everyone again for all the presents. I mean look at it. I even got a new camera from Elijah and he signed me up for some junior photography programs for the weekends. It's awesome."

"My gift was the best." He pointed toward the rolled of one dollar bills sitting on the brunette's dresser and smirked. "I didn't know what to get you, so I just gave you everything I had saved up to buy you a present."

"You're so dumb." She laughed and rolled her eyes as she looked out her window and towards the Bat Cave. "I loved the present my dad got me. It was awesome, a new handmade leather sketchbook with my initials on it. It was pretty awesome."

Grayson swatted at Monica's hair before standing up at the sound of his name being called. "Thanks for having me over for cake Moni. I'll see you around, happy birthday."

"Whatever." Monica smiled at him. "I'll see you later."

Bri watched Grayson walk down the stairs before moving into her daughter's room. "I thought you hated Grayson?"

"I do but none of my other friends were available." Monica shrugged as she looked up at her mom before pointing her foot towards the beanbag across from her. "Come on. Come sit down mom. I need some cuddles."

She nodded as she dropped into the beanbag. "Come sit on my lap then my darling. I'll cuddle you up until you fall fast asleep."

Monica smiled as she set the pen and notebook aside and moved towards her mom, draping herself over the older brunette. "I had a good day. I loved everything and all the people that came and wished me a happy birthday." She nodded as she rested her head against her mom's chest and yawned. "I can't wait until next year. I want to have a real birthday party at the skating ring or something."

"We can do that next year." Bri nodded as she trailed her fingers through Monica's soft hair. "It'll be fun to see all the guys try to roller skate, that's even if they have the courage to put on skates in the first place." She laughed softly before stopping as she heard her daughter begin to snore. "You really are tired baby." She stood up slowly and walked towards the bed, pushing the presents off it carefully before laying Monica into the bed and crawling in behind her, pulling her small form up against hers. "I love you with everything that I am Monica."

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 **thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. I enjoyed reading them a whole lot. :) let me know how you liked this chapter. thank youuu.**


	25. Epiphany

**August 25, 2012**

"Oh!" Javier dropped down off the monkey bars and looked around before picking up his Dino, dusting it off carefully before setting it back onto the slide. "I can't believe I dropped you. I'm so sorry!" He shook his head as he furrowed his brow and sighed. "It won't happen again Dino, I promise you."

"Dino start talking back yet?" Juice smirked as he lifted up his son from behind and kissed his head. "I missed you man, how ya been?"

"Good." The three year old nodded and smiled. "How ya been dad? How was your run?"

"It was good. I'm good." Juice sat down on the slide and situated his son on his lap before reaching behind him and grabbing the dinosaur. "Gotta keep Dino close. He gets sad when you're not around, just like I do." He laid back on the slide and looked up at the sky briefly. "You been having fun though?"

Javier nodded. "Yeah, I've been having fun. I like playing with all the dinos I got for my birthday. I also learned how to play checkers. Grandpa taught me that and Mo, she taught me how to play Go Fish." He smiled widely. "I like playing checkers with Grandpa, it's a fun game. I like collecting all of his checkers."

The man chuckled. "Wait until you're old enough to learn how to play Chess. It's even more fun than checkers. I promise you that." He stood up and set Javier back to his feet. "You gonna show me how to do the monkey bars?"

"Yeah, I'll show you." Javier climbed up the ladder and started swinging on the first bar. "I'm the best monkey but you should see mom, she can hang upside down from them for a _whole_ minute!"

"That I can." Bri murmured as she pulled her son off the monkey bar and set him back to his feet. "You gotta ask to be out back here babe. You know that much, you're lucky your dad is out here with you otherwise I woulda had to smack your little behind." She shook her head as she turned her eyes on Juice. "I try to make it a habit of not letting him out here alone and when I told you he was in the kitchen finger painting, I wholeheartedly believed he was."

Juice looked at the brunette and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't see him in there so I peeked out of the window and saw him talking to his Dino. I had to come out and see if I could get in on the monkey bar action." He chuckled. "I'll keep an eye on him Brianna, I promise."

"That's fine, I just came out her to let him know that he's supposed to ask an adult before he comes back here. The pond doesn't have anything surrounding it yet and the last thing I need is for him to wander down there and fall into it." Bri crossed her arms and shook her head as she looked at her ex boyfriend. "Just make sure you two are both washed up and inside by six, that's when dinner it. We're having pasta tonight. Elijah is cooking. It means it'll be amazing."

"We'll be there in time." He nodded as he lifted Javier back up and started to spin him around in circles. "Come on man, let's teach me how to do these monkey bars."

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"I've never seen them both at the same time." Monica mumbled to her mom before looking back across the dinner table at Elijah and his brother Roman. "I didn't think this would ever happen." She laughed and shook her head. "'Lijah."

Elijah turned his attention to Monica as he set his fork down on his plate. "Yes Monica?"

"How come Rome is here? You guys aren't usually in the same place at the same time. At least not that I know of." She shook her head before taking a big bite of her garlic bread as she waited for an answer.

Roman chuckled and shook his head. "I'm here because he invited me to dinner and I said yes for once." He nodded. "Now, you're seeing us at the same time for the first time. Amazing huh? So tell me Monica, am I better looking than my brother?"

The ten year old blushed as she hid her face in her hands. "I can't say." She shook her head and shrugged. "I have no opinion on the matter at hand. This pasta is so good though Elijah."

Elijah laughed and shook his head. "Ignore my brother, he has no proper table manners." He turned his gaze on Roman and smiled. "I think you can choose a more age appropriate topic of conversation. She's ten years old."

"It was a joke. I guess a bad one, so I'm sorry." Roman shifted in his seat. "Can we do another subject change. I don't like being the focal point."

"I did the monkey bars ten times today with my dad." Javier smiled brightly as he looked at everyone at the table. "I also taught him how to do them."

"It was a fun and tiring day." Juice flashed a goofy lopsided grin and nodded. "I enjoyed it so much. My hands are sore and blistered but it's a good feeling."

"That sounds like fun." Bri smiled at her son. "I'm glad you two enjoyed yourselves a whole lot. You're gonna have to have another monkey bar session one day really soon."

"Ugh, this is such an awkward dinner." Nik shook her head as she tapped her nails on the table before stopping at the look Elijah gave her. "I'm sorry, you don't have to lunge over here and kill me with a spoon Elijah." She rolled her eyes. "Let's just finish this all up and then we can all go hang out in the media room in silence while we watch a movie."

"I like you." Roman smiled at the blonde. "Blunt and outspoken. It's refreshing."

"Thank you." The blonde shrugged. "I'm gonna be finishing my dinner up in the kitchen." She stood up and grabbed her plate, moving towards the kitchen, smiling to herself as she saw Bri do the same thing. "God, what happened between Elijah and Roman, the tension was so damn thick in there."

Bri chuckled as she sat down next to Nik before looking at the archway to see Monica walking in with her plate too. "They're dealing with some brotherly work issues right now." The brunette shrugged as she took a sip of her red wine. "Shit, I haven't had any of this in a long ass time." She pushed the glass away and shook her head.

"It won't hurt anything." Nik grabbed the glass of wine and downed almost half of it before passing it to Monica. "You're ten now, you can have a sip of wine with your pasta. It won't get you drunk or anything."

Monica looked at the glass before lifting it up to her lips and taking a small sip before setting it back down on the counter. "It taste like really weird grapes, I don't like it." She shook her head before taking a sip of her lemonade. "It wasn't for me."

"She's probably gonna like white wine more or maybe rose." Bri chuckled as she reached over and rubbed her daughter's cheek. "We're just hoping that Roman and Elijah will stop acting like little immature girls and hash out whatever problem they currently have going on between them. I bet it's about something stupid too, it usually is."

Nik nodded. "We left poor Javier in their with the madness." She chuckled as she finished her pasta. "I think we should save him."

"Ehh, it's fine." The brunette waved her sister off. "He's a boy, he can be in there with the other boys. He can learn what not to do. I hope he'll learn what not to do."

"You think he'll wanna wear a reaper or a suit?" Nik started eating off her sister's plate. "What? Your pasta seems to taste better than mine."

Bri laughed and nodded. "I think he'll opt out and go to college. That's what I'm for at least. I don't want him putting on a reaper or a suit. I want him to be an individual and do what he loves the most and I believe that he's going to be my little geek monkey, just like his dad but more legally if you know what I mean."

"What do you hope I do?" Monica looked up from her plate, her green eyes on her mom's grey ones. "I wanna know what you see me doing."

"I hope that you end up doing something in photography or dance. Maybe a teacher, I think you'd be amazing working with kids or maybe even teens." Bri smiled at her daughter. "But most of all I hope that you work through that cloud of confusion you have hanging over your head these days. Don't think I haven't noticed it my love. I notice everything about you and your brother. It's my job to as your mom."

The ten year old nodded as she hopped off her stool and moved towards her mom, wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist tightly as she buried her face in her shirt. "I love you mom."

"I love you too baby." Bri nodded as she hugged her daughter back just as tight. "You're my everything. I hope you get over this because you're a little too young to be so angst ridden and confused." She lifted her up and sat her on her legs. "Go upstairs to your room, take a nice long bubble bath and I'll be up there soon and I'll cuddle with you. Alright my love? I love you."

"Jesus." Nik sighed as she watched Monica moved out of the kitchen before turning her attention to Brianna. "What is all that? Why is she so confused huh?"

"She's going through the Elijah and Happy shit. She's sort of seeing Elijah as a father figure but only because she feels like she royally fucked shit up between her and Happy." Bri sighed as she rubbed the sides of her nose. "Like this is the first time she's ever seen Elijah as a _dad_ , like he'd always refer to her as his niece… So it's just one big confusing situation."

"She'll get over it, she knows Happy is her dad, she chose him for a reason over Elijah." Nik shrugged. "No offense but Elijah comes and goes way too often to actually be a proper dad to Monica. He's probably gonna go jet off to Russia after dinner. He also too disconnected, like he keeps up on her but most of the time it feels like he does it all out of obligation and less out of it being what he wants."

"Shush, he's gonna hear your ass." Bri smacked her sister's arm. "I don't even care who she picks at this point. I just need her to get in a better place. She's like ten, she's not supposed to be angsty until at least thirteen."

"How'd it go for you, how'd you pick Aleksandr over dad?" The blonde tapped on her sister's face. "Huh?"

She shrugged. "He was there for me all of the time. He never left me, he always loved me and supported me. Like I called him dad, like I didn't call our own dad that until he made me do it. But to me Aleksandr was always my dad."

"Like I said, Happy will always be hers." Nik smiled and nodded. "She called him dad, yeah she may have fucked up and pulled away but what daughter doesn't do that shit? We always do that shit. You ran off to Sweden, didn't really talk to him. It's a thing. She's an over emotional Hohrykova woman. It's in her blood to be over the top with every little thing."

"Shut up, don't talk about my baby like that." Bri popped her sister's mouth. "Only I can call her an over emotional little thing. She's my mini me after all, so when she doesn't know how to handle shit she runs off and pushes people out of her life. I think this time, it was a bit detrimental to her relationship with her father and I don't know if that'll ever be fixed but we can only hope for the best in this situation."

 **September 12, 2012**

It was Monica's favorite time of the week. Her weekly therapy session. The only time she could go on and on about herself without feeling guilty or coming off as a narcissist. She looked around the office, smiling at the other children around her, trying to figure out what they were there for. Wondering if they were a little crazy or just like her, unable to properly cope with change in a timely manner on top of her dealing with her ADHD. She sighed as she looked at her mom who was sitting next to her. "Am I crazy?"

"No, you're not crazy." Bri shook her head as she studied Monica's features carefully. "There's nothing wrong with going to therapy and talking to someone about what you're feeling and going through. It'll help you get everything all out. It'll help with you moving forward in life. I honestly should've went to therapy way sooner than fifteen. I will tell you that much."

Monica nodded as she twisted the ring on her finger before tapping on the cover of her sketchbook. "I do like my therapist. She's always suggesting things for me to do if I get sad and stuff. She's pretty cool. I wonder what we'll end up talking about today."

"Monica." Dr. Burke smiled from her doorway. "If you'll just follow me on back, we can get our session started my dear."

"Have a good session. I'll be waiting for you when you're finished." Bri kissed Monica's head and smiled as she watched her walk towards the smiling blonde.

"Hi." Monica smiled up at the doctor before following her into the office. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing well." Dr. Burke smiled as she sat down in her chair. "How are you?"

The brunette shrugged. "I'm alright. I kinda have a whole lot on my mind. You see, remember how I was telling you about Elijah? Then I was telling you about Happy? Happy is my dad but I thought maybe I picked the wrong dad, right? So I was thinking about calling Elijah dad but then I was thinking a lot about it and I figured out that I only want Happy to be my dad because he's a better dad for me. I just messed up a lot with him and now I think he hates me even though he says he doesn't."

"Explain further. Do you want to actually have a dad or do you just like the idea of having a dad?" She eyed Monica carefully for a moment.

"I want a dad actually." Monica nodded. "I didn't mean to make my dad hate me. I just didn't know how to deal with getting a little brother. I also was still kinda upset at him because he left to Tacoma. It was two years without him being there for me and I don't know, I just decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and just be there one day and gone the next. It was the wrong decision though because I just made myself cry."

"I think you're a little too young to be going tit for tat with your father Monica." Dr. Burke furrowed her brow as she jotted down a few notes.

"Well, it made sense." She sighed as she fiddled with the bracelets on her tiny wrist before looking back up at the woman. "I just wanted him to feel as forgotten as I did when he left for two years. I didn't mean to mess it up this badly."

The blonde leaned forward and grabbed Monica's hands. "You can fix everything, you just need to find a way to apologize and lay everything out. No keeping anything inside anymore. Let him know what's all on your mind, he'll accept the apology and you guys can work on building a stronger relationship."

Monica nodded slowly. "I can do that. I can talk to him and tell him everything." She looked at the blonde and flashed a sad smile. "I just hope it all works out for the best."


	26. Baby Mama

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 **Thank you for the continued support. I'm happy that it has picked up and I am able to continue on with this story because I have a set idea of where I want to take it and all the characters involved. Especially Miss Monica. Her journey is far from over but I can assure you that it does get better for her after her upcoming talk with Happy. So enjoy this chapter.  
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 **September 29, 2012**

"Babe." Bri murmured against Jax's chest as she listened to his steady breaths, knowing that he was awake but completely relaxed. "What do you want for lunch?"

Jax yawned as he rubbed Bri's bare back. "You're that hungry? We've only gone about six rounds darlin'." He chuckled as he watched the brunette sit up slowly and glare down at him. "What?"

"I was asking what you wanted to eat. I had lunch while you were sleeping because the six rounds made you pass the fuck out." She smirked at him before trailing her finger down his nose. "I'm trying to be a good girlfriend and feed my hungry boyfriend. That's what is happening right now."

"In that case, I know exactly what I want for lunch." He pulled the brunette back down to him, his lips finding hers as his hands landed on her ass. "I want some more of you before we're interrupted. It's been too quiet for there not to be an interruption soon."

"Babe, nooo." Bri shook her head and laughed. "You wore my body out. I just wanna lay all over you and cuddle the fuck out of you baby!" She kissed his lips once more before draping herself lazily over his body. "I just want a lazy afternoon with you. Plus, we're out of condoms."

He shook his head. "We've only used a condom once over the last couple of months and you keep saying that you can't get knocked up babe." He sighed. "Shit, I didn't mean for it to sound like it's whatever."

"I know that you didn't." She nodded and smiled. "It's a big deal but sort of whatever. I mean, I'd be shocked if I ended up pregnant. I'd be happy about it though, to be completely honest with you Jax."

"You think you could really handle having a Teller child?" Jax smirked at the brunette. "I could see us being parents together. We'd have one amazing looking kid, that's for sure. Right now, it's a flip of the coin, if you end up getting pregnant, I'll be excited. I get another chance to do the dad thing all over again. I'll do it right this time around."

Bri smiled as she laced her fingers through his. "I could handle having a Teller child. I handle you and your sister just fine." She shrugged as she turned her steely gaze to the ceiling and sighed. "I just want to add to my brood. I've always seen myself with like a handful of kids. I don't know, that was just my dream before I moved on to being a doctor. I wanted to be a better mom than what my mom was to me. I have two gorgeous and amazing children. I wasn't the best to Monica for a few years but I think I'm making up for that."

"I think you're an amazing mom. So whatever we may add to your _brood_ will be in amazing hands." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Let's hope for the best. Here's to knocking your pretty ass up, fuck what the doctor's say."

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"I think I'm getting sick." Bri murmured as she sat on the edge of the tub in her bathroom. "I can't be getting sick. I have important work shit to do this week." She took a sip of water before looking towards the door at her younger sister Nik who was texting. "Can't believe you're ignoring me right now Nik."

Nik shrugged as she finally looked up from her phone and at her sister. "You look like complete shit Bri. You look green and clammy." She shook her head and grabbed a hand towel off the rack by the sink and soaked it with cold water before moving to her sister and sat down next to her. "I don't want whatever it is that you have." She started wiping her sister's face gently. "We're gonna get you in the shower, then into something comfortable before we put you in bed and feed you some soup."

The brunette waved her sister off as she reached over and started the shower. "I suck at being sick. You know this Nik. I hate it so much, especially the fever and throwing up. I hate throwing up so damn much." She pulled her shirt from her body and tossed it towards the hamper before standing up and shimmying out of her shorts and panties. "Make it go away."

"You're such a baby." Nik shook her head as she stripped down to her bra and panties and followed her sister into the shower. "I got you though Bri. Just relax and it'll make you feel better. You're gonna feel better, alright my love?"

Bri nodded as she stood under the water and sighed. "It feels really good." She ran her hands up and down her face as she felt her sister squirt body wash onto her body. "Barbarian, you could've used a cloth or a loofa."

"Whatever." The blonde shrugged. "It gets the job done, I never use a loofa and I'm always clean as fuck." She smirked. "I just want to know something though. Were you ever sick when you were pregnant with Monica or Javier?"

"Yeah for like a little bit." She shook her head. "Fuck." Bri looked at Nik. "You don't think I am do you? It's almost midnight, I never got sick at night. Only in the morning." She sighed as she rubbed a hand over her face. "Nik!"

"I'm not saying that you are but I'm saying that it's a possibility Bri. I mean, right?" Nik turned her sister around and studied her face carefully. "You couldn't have been completely safe since the doctors did tell you that you couldn't get pregnant. There had to be _some_ slip ups. Right?"

Bri nodded slowly as she turned off the water and stepped out the shower, going straight for the giant plush bath towel. "Yeah, there were a lot of slip ups but when the doctors said no babies, I believed them. I mean I hoped that I'd wind up pregnant but I never thought it'd actually happen. Especially not this soon. I mean, we've been together since like my birthday but weren't official until like June… Nik, I'm doing it again, this is what happened when I got back with Juice, not soon after I was knocked up, you saw how that worked out for me."

Nik sighed as she toweled herself off. "You know, it won't be the same for you and Jax. I know it burned your ass bad, the whole situation with Juice but I think you need to stop comparing the two of them. Like, Brianna, Jax is obviously more serious about you and the kids than Juice ever was. It's going to be good, we're gonna get dressed, go to Rite Aid and get a few tests and some ginger ale to soothe your stomach. Now, come on."

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"Why are there so many different tests?" Brianna shook her head as she looked at the three shelves of various pregnancy tests. "Um, I think I should just get one of each. Who knows? Maybe I really am just coming down with a flu bug or something."

"A flu bug that lasts nine months." Nik smirked at the brunette as she started pulling tests off the shelves and tossing them into the basket. "Can you just like piss in a cup and dip the sticks or do you have to try to pee on each and everyone of them? Rapid fire!"

"Just use a dropper, pee in the cup and use the little dropper to drop pee onto each stick." The brunette shrugged as she turned around and laughed. "I guess I'll have to start using these rubbers more if it turns out I can get pregnant." She held up the pack of condoms before putting them back where she found them.

"I hope you are pregnant." The younger woman smirked at her sister. "What? I want to see what you and Jackson's kid is gonna look like. I bet his genes are gonna kick your genes' asses."

"Probably, I mean look at Javi. He's all tan and goofy grin. He inherited my hair and caring personality." Bri shrugged. "Come on, let's get home. I got some tests to take."

Nik nodded as she started pushing the basket. "The cashier is gonna think we're a bunch of sexed up sluts. We need a cover story."

The brunette scoffed. "Ok. How about we say it's a donation." She looked in the cart at the dozen pregnancy tests and shrugged. "Come on, let's just go. I need to know for sure, what's up with my body."

 **October 12, 2012**

After twelve positive home pregnancy tests, two blood tests at the clinic and three more pee tests. It was official, Brianna Hohrykova was pregnant. Something she never thought she'd be again due to the countless doctors in the past telling her that Javier was her final child. That she'd never carry a baby again. She proved them wrong though, it seemed like the fates were finally working in her favor, sending her on a true path of happiness now that she wasn't trying to force something that wasn't truly meant to be. Her biggest mission now was to tell her boyfriend Jax the news. She couldn't put it off any longer.

She looked at the black and white sonogram pictures in her hand and sighed. The baby was barely a blob but it was there. Alive and thriving, for the time being. With the news of a pregnancy came the news of this pregnancy being high risk. _Don't make any plans until you hit your second trimester_. She shook her head and sighed before looking up at the clubhouse. "Alright, I guess it's time to tell your dad about you." She pulled her key from the ignition and slipped it into her pocket before getting out of the car, adjusting her Raiders jersey before starting towards the doors.

Bri trailed her fingers through her hair, as she looked around the main room of the clubhouse, taking note of all the missing members before her eyes turned to the chapel, the doors were slightly ajar, something unusual for the guys since they usually were so secretive and made sure the doors were closed completely. She shuffled towards them, her hands rolling up the papers in her grip as she poked her head into the chapel, her eyes instantly connecting with Jax who waved her in. "Hey Jax."

"Hello darlin'." Jax smiled at the brunette, standing up to pull her into a hug. "What brings you here today? Wanna cause some more trouble?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I came to talk to you. I got some news earlier. I wanted to share it with you because I if I don't share it now, then I'll probably talk myself out of telling you it for a little while longer."

He studied her carefully before pulling her to the corner of the chapel. "What is it Brianna? What's wrong?" His brows stitched together in worry and concern as his mind started racing as he waited for his girlfriend to speak up. "What is it? I'm dying her right now babe…"

"Um." Bri started before looking down at her hands and slowly unrolling the papers. "I'm pregnant… I went to the doctor earlier and she told me." She looked back up at him, chewing on the corner of her lip as she waited for him to say something. "She even gave me the little pictures, even though the kid is basically a blob."

Jax nodded slowly, looking at the picture before looking back up at the brunette, a small tugging on the corners of his mouth. "It's a good looking blob." He grinned as he pulled the brunette back into a hug, rocking them side to side slightly as he kissed her cheek. "We're really gonna have a kid? What'd the doctor say?"

She nodded as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "Yeah, really. We're having a good looking blob. She just said don't go off and buy anything until trimester two… She called it high risk just because of the doctors saying I couldn't get pregnant. So, I'm gonna take it easy and not go on a shopping spree but yeah we're gonna have a kid. I just have one request, not to tell anyone who can't keep a secret. I don't want to announce it and then miscarry or something. I'd be fucking devastated to have gotten everyone excited only to have them be down if something bad happens. I know this pregnancy will stick and that we'll have a baby in nine months though."

"That's fine, we'll announce it when you're ready." He kissed her and smiled. "I'm happy about this." He took the papers from her and slipped them into the inside pocket of his kutte. "I want these with me. Remind me what I get to go home to now. Not just you, Monica and Javi, now I got a blob to get home to as well."

Bri smiled even wider at the man. "Go, go back and sit at the head of your table and be a president." She chuckled as he laced his fingers through hers. "What?"

Jax smirked as he started walking back towards the table and took a seat, wrapping his arm around Bri's waist as he kept her close to him. "So guys, where were we?" He looked at his brothers, a new wave of happiness washing over him as he touched his free hand to his kutte, knowing the pictures were close to his heart.

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"What're we at Elijah's house for?" Bri asked as she looked at Roman. "You got me out of bed, I was sleeping comfortably, I was cuddling with my boyfriend, I had my babies in bed with me. Then you come and wake me the hell up like you've lost your mind."

Roman shrugged as he let himself into his brother's home. "Eli's been missing for the last few days. You are about to figure out why he's been missing Brianna. Just relax."

"What in the world?" The brunette covered her mouth as she walked into the living room and saw Elijah sitting on the sofa, a little bundle of pink on his bare chest. "Elijah…" She whispered as she moved closer to him. "Why didn't you tell me that Kaia was in labor or had the baby. What's her name? Can I hold her? Can I keep her? Where's Kaia? Huh? Huh? Huh? Elijah!" She smacked his arm and smiled. "Look at all of her hair."

"Aurelia Lumi Nasonov. Seven pounds, ten ounces, nineteen inches long. October 9, 2012." Elijah smiled at the brunette before looking back down at his daughter. "She really is mine though. Another DNA test confirmed it again when she was born."

"Baby Lumi." Bri smiled as she took the baby and cradled her to her chest. "Look at you, gorgeous little thing you are. I'm your Auntie Bri. What color are her eyes? Tell me something amazing, tell me they're grey."

He shook his head. "You can't just take my daughter." He chuckled. "Kaia, she left yesterday and hasn't been home since. I have some suits out looking for her but until then, I was wondering if you could help me with her."

"What? She just up and left?" She shook her head as she watched the newborn open her eyes. "Look at those gorgeous honey brown eyes you have there. Yeah, I'll help you with her for a little bit Elijah. Just like you did with Monica."

"Just without the killing." He chuckled. "I'm so in love with Aurelia, it's insane."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't make any promises about the killing thing. I mean, if the opportunity aries, I will take it." She shrugged as she shifted the baby again. "I'll take her home with me. You can go look for your runaway baby mama… I can't believe this shit. Who has a kid and then is physically able to run off. Like shit, I hated getting out of bed after Monica and especially after Javier."

"Roman will help you gather up her stuff and get situated at your house." Elijah stood up and nodded. "I'll look for two days then I'll be by our place to her her. Have fun spoiling her to death. I know when I go to pick her up, she'll no doubt be in a mini fur coat and matching boots."

Bri laughed and nodded. "Oh Elijah, you know me so well. Now go find your psycho of a babymama. Lum is in great, capable hands. I won't spoil her too damn much." She kissed the baby's forehead and sighed. "You're gonna be loved so much baby girl. I may not even wanna give you back in two days…"

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 **AN: I haven't quite decided yet, but there is going to be somewhat of a time jump in either chapter 28 or 29, it won't be a crazy jump but it'll kind of skip over some unnecessary moments and get to the amazing stuff.  
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	27. Charming

**October 15, 2012**

"Ahh, my baby Lumi." Bri cuddled the baby girl to her chest as she walked around her home office. "I don't wanna give you back at all. You make me want another little girl instead of a little Jackson." She chuckled as she sat down on the floor, setting the wide awake baby into her swing. "This swing was Javi's. He loved this thing to death because it not only moved back and forth but side to side and round and round. It's too high tech but his dad is a geek, so it was expected."

"Why do you have a baby?" Javi shook his head as he stood over the baby. "Aren't I your baby mama?"

She nodded as she pulled the little boy to her. "Yeah, you're my Javi Baby! This baby is Elijah's, I'm just babysitting her while he works." She kissed his cheek and smiled. "You don't like the baby? You like Kol though…"

He shrugged. "So, Elijah is gonna take her back?" He nodded. "I like Kol 'cause he goes to his own home." He smiled up at his mom. "I kinda like her but I gotta sit on it for a little more time, ok?"

Bri chuckled. "Yeah, sit on it for a little more time but she's cute as can be… She's got a lot of hair like her daddy. He should be here later to pick her up and take her home. I'm gonna miss her though. I liked having my niece here."

"Oh no." Javi shook his head as he turned to stare at his mom. "Are you gonna have a baby? Is that why you have her?"

She shook her head. "I have her because Elijah is working and her mom couldn't watch her." Bri rolled her eyes. "Stop stressing out kid, you're three. You're always and forever my Javi Baby. I'm always gonna baby your ass when you want me too. Understood?"

"Yeah." He nodded as he wrapped his tiny arms around her neck. "I wanna be babied right now." He sat in her lap and rested his back against her chest as he grabbed her hand and placed it on his head. "Can you play with my hair?"

"Yeah my love, I can play with the little bit of hair you have." Bri laughed as she ran her fingers through Javier's short hair. "I want you to let it grow out, no more mohawks for a while. I'm gonna make your dad grow his out too so you can both have the same hair cut. Are you falling asleep on me Javi Baby?"

Javier yawned and nodded. "You playing with my hair makes me sleepy."

"Oh, does it?" She continued to trailed her fingers through his hair. "For the record, I think you'd be a good big brother. You'd get to boss around your little sibling just like Elijah bosses around his little brother Roman."

"Maybe." He shrugged. "I'll think about it too."

Bri rolled her eyes. "Go to sleep baby. I'll still be holding you when you wake up. I promise."

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"I don't wanna give her back Jax." Bri shook her head as she watched Jax slip Aurelia into the bassinet. "I don't want to let her leave me! Babe! Buy her from Elijah for me… It'll be an early Christmas gift."

Jax shook his head as he watched Bri pick the sleeping baby up. "I just got her in there, Brianna. Don't wake her up. Is this what it's gonna be like when you have our baby?" He watched her place Lumi back into the bassinet before pulling her towards him. "You'll have your own baby to fuss over in about nine months."

"I know but like she's so precious and I just wanna hold her." She sighed as she wrapped her arms around Jax. "I'm excited for us to have this baby." She mumbled against his chest. "You're gonna be an amazing dad."

"Have you started shopping already babe?" He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm excited though. I get a second chance at this father thing." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "You do need to give Elijah his daughter back though. I see Javi walking around, mean mugging the poor baby."

"He wants to remain the only baby in the household." Bri laughed. "He's a little jealous little thing already. I keep telling him that he'd make a good big brother."

"What's the baby doing huh?" Javier asked as he walked towards the couple. "Jax, are you gonna let her keep it huh?"

She smiled as she picked up her son. "She's currently sleeping. She's not doing anything exciting or whatever Javi. She's being a lazy little thing like you were when you were a little baby. I remember when you were her age. I wouldn't leave you alone for anything. I would just hold you forever and kiss all over your face." She laughed as she peppered his face with kisses. "Yeah, my Javi Baby. You're just so damn handsome, I can't help but wanna kiss that face of yours. I love you so so much papas."

"I'm gonna be glad when she's gone." Javi buried his face in his mom's hair and yawned. "Only I can be the baby."

"I dunno about that. You still wanna be called a baby when you're in high school? I mean, I have no problem calling you Javi Baby when you're eighteen and trying to look cool in front of your friends." Bri smirked as she watched Elijah move into the room. "Look, it's Elijah, coming to take the baby home with him. Hi 'Lijah."

Elijah smiled at the brunette before moving to his daughter and picking her out of the bassinet. "I missed her like crazy. I had luck finding Kaia but she has no interest in coming back to Oakland. She signed away her rights." He shook his head. "Hello Jackson."

"Hey Elijah." Jax smiled at the man. "You have a quiet daughter, she barely even makes noise when she cries."

He nodded as he looked down at Aurelia and smiled. "I'm glad that she wasn't any trouble. Thanks again for looking after her again you guys. I'm gonna grab her and get home. I just wanna lay around with her. Roman will pack up her stuff."

"Bye." Bri hugged Elijah before kissing his cheek. "I'm sorry about the Prom Queen… I was rooting for her to prove me wrong. If you need us to look after her again, don't hesitate to reach out. Love you Elijah, be good."

 **October 29, 2012**

"So, this is the nice part of Charming?" Bri smiled as she looked around the neighborhood as she and Jax strolled hand in hand down the sidewalk. "A string of McMansions and Craftsman style homes. It's kind of _charming_."

Jax chuckled and shook his head. "I know it's nothing like what you're used to living in over in Oakland but I was thinking maybe we could try living in Charming. I want you to be apart of all aspects of my life Brianna, not just bits and pieces of it. Charming is my home, it's where my club is, it's where most of my life takes place." He stopped in front of the largest house that had a For Sale sign in the yard. "I thought you'd like this one. It's got your name written all over it."

She nodded slowly as she looked at the large house before looking at her boyfriend. "How many bedrooms?"

"Five, a master suite, a junior suite downstairs for Monica and the other three are on the second floor with the master." He moved up the paved stone path towards the front door. "I got the keys. I took it upon myself to make the first move with this. I just really want you in Charming, with me."

Bri smiled. "I'm willing to move to Charming Jax. I want to be more involved with all aspects of your life. I wanna get to know what the MC is all about since it's so important to you babe." She watched him open the door and step aside so she could walk in ahead of him. "No carpet? That's something different."

"It's not the Fortress but it could be our home. There's even a home office, I know you love having your own work space." He closed the door behind him as he grabbed her hand again and lead her to the stair case. "I want to show you the room that I think would be a good nursery. I know we're not supposed to jump ahead of ourselves but I couldn't help it. The family that lived here, they had a baby so the nursery is still kind of painted but in the worst colors. You're gonna get a kick out of it when you see it."

"Oh lord, is it a puke green?" She laughed and shook her head as she followed him into a bedroom. "Oh, this is not what I expected when you said nursery. Black and polka dots." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I could see this being a nursery, the black can actually be a good color just as an accent and not the main color. You're right though, it's perfect for the nursery. The kid can always grow into this room and change it up or even move to the other spare room."

The man smiled as he pulled the brunette to him, his hand going to her stomach. "I'm glad you're on board with this darlin'. I really want to start a life with you, here in Charming. I think you'll have fun. It's not that far of a drive from Oakland either, so you could still work at the clinic and visit with Jacey."

"Let's make an offer on it." Bri nodded and grinned. "I don't need to see the rest of it. We're moving to Charming. Well, you know what I mean. We're moving in together, in a craftsman style home. I'm up for the change too though. I think it'll do me some good."

"I can't believe you're agreeing to move to Charming. Life is really changing for us huh?" Jax kissed the brunette and smirked. "I love you."

"I love you too babe." She hugged him tightly. "Now, which one of us is gonna break the news to your sister?"

"Not it." He shook his head and laughed. "Have fun breaking the news to her darlin', you're going to need it."

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"So, this is where you used to live huh?" Bri looked around the dorm room and smiled. "Of course you have half naked blondes hanging on the walls. "Never found a hot brunette to tack up? Wait, don't answer that. I can't believe this is where the infamous _Jackson Teller_ used to lay his head at night."

Jax laughed as he sat on the foot of the bed, feeling a little more at ease now that his girlfriend seemed genuinely excited about learning all about his life in Charming and how the club actually functioned. "So, you think you're down to stay in here if there's ever a lockdown? You and the kids would be sleeping in here."

"Yeah, I could sleep in here as long as the posters come down. I don't need Javi seeing all of these half naked women." She smirked as she picked up a binder from the desk and opened it up before reading the cover page. "Wow, so your dad was a writer huh?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, he was a writer. You can read that if you want." He eyed her carefully before laying back onto the bed. "I still can't believe we're having a kid together. Who would have thought we'd end up back together and this serious after the first time around?"

"I'm gonna read it." She nodded as she sat down between his parted legs. "I guess it was just meant to be. I'm happy we're together. Nothing between us feels forced and I don't feel like I have to be cautious of what I do. I can be my complete self with you. It's perfect. I love you Jax."

"I love you too." He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder as he read along with her. "I'm happy we're back together too. I really did have feelings for you the first time around. It kinda crushed me when you decided to go back to Juice. I didn't say anything though because I thought it was what was going to make you happy but you ended up miserable and I wished I would've said something then."

"I feel so fucking stupid about all that still. I was just holding onto this idea that I had when I was fifteen and just ignoring all the warning signs and the feelings not being the same anymore. Then I got pregnant and I was really set on making it all work out for the sake of Javier. I also didn't want to raise my kid alone which was what ended up happening besides all the wonderful help I get from my family and now from you." Bri rubbed her boyfriend's forearms. "I'm so happy to be yours and to be welcomed into this part of your life. I promise I will try my best and shed my funky attitude. I know I can be abrasive but the last thing I want is for your brothers to hate me because they think I'm stuck up."

"You do have a tendency to be a little stuck up babe." Jax chuckled and shrugged. "What? You know it's true? If your nose gets any higher in the air, I think you may just snap your neck darlin'. I would just tone it down, get to know the guys, the usual hang arounds, maybe even play nice with Lyla and Ima. It will bring your nose back down to its normal level and who knows? You might just make friends around this place and that's never a bad thing. You'll have someone to hang out with around Charming and around the clubhouse if we ever go on lockdown."

"I know I do have a tendency to be stuck up." She whined as she turned around and straddled his legs, locking her fingers behind his neck as she stared at him intently. "I'm gonna get better at this lifestyle change. I'm gonna try my best not to be a _priss_ and I'm gonna make friends with your brothers, I'm not too sure about Ima but I may give Lyla a chance since she's your best friend's wife. I've seen Ima's work and it's not the best…"

He shook his head and smirked as he pulled her tightly against him. "As long as you're trying your best, that's all that really matters. I don't know what to say about the Ima thing, I honestly have never watched any of her movies. So, I can't give a direct opinion on her work." He chuckled. "I'll take your word for it. So, you wanna nap before head back to Oakland? I promise this bed is comfortable."

"Yeah, we can nap before we head back. I doubt Nik is back with the kids anyway." Bri smiled as Jax laid back before rolling them on their sides so they were facing each other. "I love you and I really am excited about this new chapter of our life together." She kissed him and grinned. "I'm your _old lady_."

Jax couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the sound of Bri's last statement. "You're my _old lady_. I'm your _old man_. Life is good darlin'." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and sighed. "I love you too."


	28. Pinky Promise

**November 8, 2012**

"So, I'm just gonna go ahead and say that I love you and don't hate me." Bri looked at her boyfriend and smiled. "But I sorta wanna paint that house a different color if we get it. I want it to be like a cheery yellow and not a cheery powder blue."

Jax laughed and shook his head. "I thought you were going to say something terrible. I can deal with you wanting to paint the house a yellow color. It'd be the only yellow one in the neighborhood. We'll stand out for sure."

"Oh no." She shook her head as she tugged on the front of his kutte and pulled him closer to her. "I didn't do anything terrible. I was just looking through the pictures we took of the house and decided it'd look really good in yellow, especially with the stone details out front. I love the wrap around porch, it gives the _southern charm_ feel. I just wanna put a swing on it and sip sweet tea while watching the kids run around in play. Speaking of kids, we'll need to look into schools for Monica and Javi. He's gonna be in preschool soon."

"Someone is getting into the spirit of this whole move." He chuckled. "We can look into all of that, we still have some time until the school year is up for Monica. It's always possible for her to stay at her current school, like I said the commute isn't that bad."

"I am excited about it all. I mean, I'll miss the Fortress and being neighbors with my sister but I can always go for visits, the house will still be there, it'll still be ours. That's all I could ask for, yeah?" She slipped her hands under his shirt and smiled. "I've got to admit, this is exciting but a little daunting. I've never really done anything like this before. Yeah, I was married and moved to Russia to be with my husband but that was against my will. Now, I'm moving in with you, it's going to be an adjustment, I know we practically live together now but it's mostly been you adapting to my life and now I'm gonna be adapting to yours. I don't wanna let you down or fuck anything up Jackson."

"Brianna, take a breath and just calm down." Jax shook his head as he rested his hands on her ass. "You're in your head and now you just gotta take it easy. I'm not gonna make you stay in Charming if you hate it. You're free to leave and move back into your fortress. You're not gonna let me down or fuck anything up. It's a day by day thing with us."

"I'm relaxing. One day at a time." Bri nodded as she ran her nails over Jax's abs and smiled. "You better put on some empathy weight. I don't wanna be the only one getting fat in this relationship."

"You're gonna round out nicely, big belly, bigger tits, rounder ass." He chuckled. "You're gonna be a gorgeous pregnant woman baby but for you, I'll gain five pounds if it'll make you happy." He kissed her lips and smirked. "Just clear your mind and relax. We got a some stuff to handle."

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"I wanna go on record and say that this is so amazing." Bri followed her sister into the lobby of the emergency room and smiled. "You're gonna be a mom in a matter of hours! We get to meet your little girl soon! I'm excited for it! Nik! Anthony! Are you excited for it!"

Nik turned around and pulled her older sister into a big hug. "I'm excited, nervous, happy. I want to meet her and hold her so damn bad Bri, you don't even understand. I just wanna meet her and love on her already."

"I'm excited." Anthony wrapped his arms around both women and smiled. "I get my little princess soon. Little Kajsa."

"I'm gonna be an Auntie." The brunette grinned widely and nodded. "Her uncle Jax is on call if we need anything. I practically fell out of bed when I got your call Nik. Jax pulled his gun and was ready to shoot whoever scared me."

The blonde laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect it'd be this early in the morning either but babies never wait." She shrugged. "Let's check in. I just want everything to be smoothly with her. I want her healthy, chubby and in my arms as soon as possible." Nik nodded. "I kinda feel like I'm having a contraction…"

Bri laughed and shook her head. "I hear that's normal when you're getting a baby. Your body just wants to feel like it's gone through labor." She wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Let me guess, you've been cleaning up and nesting all week huh? Getting ready to bring her home?"

"Bri, she was going crazy. She cleaned the kitchen twice, the laundry room, she washed all the baby clothes and the bedding. She was running around like a chicken with her head cut off the _entire_ week." Anthony chuckled and shook his head as he watched the nurse finish checking them in. "I want to just see her already. She was born right?" He looked at the nurse before reading her name tag. "Cindy."

Cindy nodded. "Yeah, about thirty minutes ago, she's going through her newborn tests, making sure everything is good and she's completely healthy. Did you want to go upstairs and wait with the birth mom's family?"

"Her family is here?" Bri shook her head again before looking at the panicked look on Nik and Anthony's faces. "Um, yeah, sure why not. They're not trying to take the baby correct? Is the social worker here or do I need to call the lawyer and the worker?"

Nik sighed. "Fuck, if they try to take Kajsa, I will burn this place down…"

"It's alright." Bri pulled her sister into a hug as she pulled her phone from her pocket. "Aracely is under age so the parents might be here to sign the paperwork. If all else fails, we offer more money." She mumbled. "That could be why they're here. Aracely was always telling you that her family was hard up right?"

Anthony looked at the brunette. "It's three in the morning, all we have is the check that we cut for her already. Where would we get the extra cash Brianna?"

"I have it." Bri shrugged. "What? I always keep emergency cash. A hundred thousand, passports, packed bags for an easy getaway if ever needed. It's just something that I learned from my dad. If they ask for more cash, we have Frey bring the money up here, you give them the check and cash."

"You'd really help us like that Bri?" Nik hugged her sister even tighter. "Thank you so much."

"Let's go get Kajsa, the lawyer is on her way and the social worker is with the family." Bri kissed her sister's forehead. We're not leaving without that little girl. Guys, go get your daughter then bring her to me so I can gush over her. I need another little girl in my life. See, we're keeping the tradition going, girls first! She's gonna grow up being close with little Elijah, watch."

"I love you." Nik smiled at her sister. "We're gonna go get our princess, we'll be right back Brianna. You'll be holding your niece in no time."

 **November 13, 2012**

"How is it that you're getting all these new babies to babysit?" Jax looked up from Kajsa and at his girlfriend. "You're just getting a crash course in babies all over again huh?"

Bri laughed and nodded. "I offered up my services. They had to go to the club for a few hours, take care of some dude who's been roughing up some of the dancers. I couldn't have my little Kajsa in a strip club. She's got another fifteen years until she's old enough to enjoy that type of entertainment."

"Is that how old you were when you went to your first strip club?" He laughed. "I need to hear that story right now, right before I have to pass this thing back and head to church."

"I wasn't fifteen. It was my thirteenth birthday and my dad decided to be a dad. I'm not talking about Aleksandr, I'm talking about my actual birth dad. Well, it was going great, he had taken me to lunch, then we did a little bit of shopping. He had gotten me the _most_ amazing fur coat. I was over the moon about it. Then he got a call, saying he was needed at the club and then he looked at me, the most serious look on his face and said _'Katarzyna, it's time for you to learn about the other family business, talk to the girls, let them spoil you with dances, enjoy the feeling of tits pressed up against your back'_. I just blinked at the man. When we got to the club, he sat me down in the VIP section, told them to bring me a cigar and the finest bottle of vodka they had and if it wasn't my thing that they should bring me red wine. I was thirteen, alone in a strip club and had access to all the liquor I wanted but all I wanted to do was go home and curl into a ball." She laughed and shook her head. "Then the girls started dancing, this redhead, her name was _Jessica Rabbit_ , original huh? She was dancing, I didn't mind the tits or ass in my face, it wasn't until she did a full split that I was out of the chair and sprinting towards the bathroom. She had the biggest bush of red hair that I had ever seen. That's why I stay away from redheads, because it's all that I can see when I see them."

Jax's whole body shook with laughter as he tried not to wake the sleeping baby before looking at his girlfriend. "I knew the story was gonna be something but I didn't know it was going to end like that. I thought you were gonna say it was the first time you realized you were into pussy!"

She laughed and shook her head. "No, pervert. I knew I liked girls from the time I was in kindergarten and chasing around this girl named Ekaterina with a fake snake during _every_ recess until she turned around and shoved me into the mud, then I was over her and onto getting chased around by this kid named Vladimir."

"Man, you're something else." He shook his head as he stood up and moved towards Brianna. "Take your niece back. I gotta go to the table. I'll see you afterwards, alright? Be good." He pressed a kiss to her lips and smirked. "Take a cue from her and get a nap in."

"I'm gonna try." Bri smiled and nodded. "Have fun at the table."

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"I think you need to recognize that I'm new at this." Nik shook her head as she was changing Kajsa's diaper. "I suck at this shit. I'm sorry baby girl."

Bri laughed and rolled her eyes. "You just need to stop being so finicky, lift her legs and wipe her little bottom all clean. No baby powder though, it's bad for them at the age. If you must use something, you can try a little cornstarch but whatever."

"I don't wanna hurt her little chubby legs." The blonde sighed as she finished snapping her daughter's onesie closed. "There you are babygirl, all fresh and clean. Looking like a million dollars with all your gorgeous hair. I can't get over the fact that this little girl has so much hair already, my little dirty blonde."

"I think it's a trip… I thought for sure she'd have some dark hair." Bri sighed as she watched Nik settle into the sofa with Kajsa. "You set her up for a lifetime of people butchering her name. It's giving me Katarzyna flashbacks all over again. People are gonna call her Kaj-suh. I'd give a little sticky note to her teachers that show how to pronounce it."

"Shut up." Nik laughed and shook her head. "I think she'll be fine though. I don't think it'll be too much to ask for people to learn how to pronounce her name correctly or ask her if they aren't sure about it."

"I hate to burst your bubble but she's gonna go from Kajsa to Britney, watch." Bri stood up from her recliner and sighed. "Now, if you'll just hand her to me, I will take her and you can go about your business."

"No." Nik popped her sister's hand. "Get your own baby."

"Fine." The brunette rolled her eyes as she heard the doorbell sound. "You expecting anyone?"

"No because this isn't my house, it's _yours_." The blonde shook her head. "You're a mess, what the fuck is actually wrong with you? You never told me about the pregnancy tests either slut."

Bri shrugged as she brushed off her sister and moved into the foyer, pulling the large wooden door open. "Elijah, Lumi, Roman, what are you three here for?"

Elijah smiled at the brunette as he adjusted the blanket on his daughter. "We just came from dinner. The waitress at the restaurant complimented Roman and myself on being a lovely couple and praised us for adopting a child together."

"Me being the gentleman that I am, thanked the waitress for the compliments and talked about how I landed such a handsome husband." Roman smirked and shrugged. "We got a free meal out of it and she even offered to babysit our precious Aurelia."

"I can see it." Bri nodded slowly as she watched Elijah shift his daughter in his arms. "Come in and sit down, Nik and Kajsa are here. I think if you two weren't related, then you'd make a lovely homosexual couple. I'd make you guys the spokesmodels for the movement too. Which one of you is the bottom though?"

"Elijah is the bottom." Roman draped an arm over Brianna's shoulders and laughed. "Mind if I use your office for some private calls?"

"Knock yourself out." She moved from under his arm and towards Elijah. "Give me your baby. I need baby breath and baby cuddles right now and Nik won't give me her baby! She's being so selfish 'Li."

"Get your own." He smirked at the brunette as he took a seat in the plush recliner and rested his daughter on his chest. "I don't wanna share her right now. Tell her Nik, tell her to get her own little baby girl."

"Yeah, Brianna get your own baby." Nik smirked at her older sister. "You can't have ours!"

"I don't want a girl anyways, I want more boys." Bri huffed as she crossed her arms over herself. "I will just go cuddle my Javi Baby, he loves me." She shook her head and plopped down onto the sofa, her hands tapping over her stomach as she watched Nik and Elijah dozing off with their daughters. Her mind on her own unborn child, trying to figure out if she'd be holding her own child in a matter of months.

 **November 28, 2012**

"Look at my baby." Bri crawled into her bed and smiled at her son. "What are you and the Monkey doing in here? Huh? You guys miss me? Huh? Huh? Huh?" She laughed as she pulled them closer to her.

"I missed you mama." Javi nodded as he looked at her. "Where ya been huh?"

"Oh, I missed you too my handsome little love." She nodded. "I was at work! I know, it sucks huh? I didn't like it. There was a lady and she was mean to me and I wanted to hit her but I couldn't or I'd be put in timeout."

"No! Not timeout." He shook his head. "Moni why are you so quiet huh? You sad sis?"

Monica shook her head. "I'm not sad, I'm just so tired from dance." She grabbed her brother's hand and laced her fingers through his tiny ones. "I just want to say that I love you and I'm sorry for being a meanie to you at times Javi."

"I forgive you." He climbed over his mom and settled next to Monica, his tiny arms wrapping around her. "I love you MoMo, you're my favorite thing sometimes. Ok, don't be sad or nothin', I'll take care of ya, alright?"

She nodded as she smiled at the three year old. "You're my favorite thing sometimes too. I love you Javi. I won't be sad anymore. I promise."

"I'm so in love with you two right now. Like even more so in love than usual." Bri turned on her side and smiled at her kids. "You are my little loves. But it's after midnight and you both should be asleep. So, let's go to sleep and I'll have some good breakfast waiting for you both when you wake up."

"We are going to sleep in a minute." Javi huffed as he held up a tiny finger. "We're having a moment here mama."

"Oh well excuse me for interrupting." She shook her head and smirked. "I'll give you guys your little moment. I gotta take a shower but I'll be back to love and cuddle on you guys." She kissed their heads and moved off of the bed. "Don't stay up too much longer you two."

"What are we gonna do with mom?" Javi looked at his sister. "She wants a baby! She keeps taking 'Lijah's and Nik Nik's babies! What do we do?"

Monica laughed and shook her head. "I dunno but if she gets a baby, it means we get to do more fun stuff! She will be paying too much attention to the baby so we'd be able to get all the snacks from the pantry and watch cartoons all night."

He nodded. "I could deal with that. I'm gonna invite my dad to watch cartoons with us."

She smiled as she pulled the blanket over the both of them and yawned. "Yeah, invite your dad. He's cool. He knows more about cartoons than I do." She nodded eagerly. "Ok, let's start making plans just in case she decides to get a baby. Pinky promise?" She linked her pinky with his and shook it before kissing his forehead. "We're gonna have fun and be good siblings if she has a baby. It'll be the best adventures ever, I promise. I know how much fun I had when you turned up."

"I believe you." Javi nodded as he snuggled up against Monica and yawned. "Let's go mimiz I wanna see what she has for us for breakfast. Night Moni."

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter. Keep them coming, I love reading them. Also, I have to give you a heads up, the story is going to undergo a major revamp come chapter 30. That chapter will be where the time jump takes place, it'll also bring about a new title, summary and plot to this story. Sooo, please keep that in mind for the next few updates. :)**


	29. No Holiday Spirit

**December 16, 2012**

"There's not holiday season this year." Bri grumbled as she dropped down on the bean bag chair in the living room. "We didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, there's not fucking Christmas tree, there's no holiday season. I'm excited about the vacation but I'm not happy about not having my extravagant season this year. It's just been a fucking fast year."

Elijah looked at the brunette and shrugged as he finished placing his daughter in her swing. "You could've done all of it. If you really wanted it."

She let out a flustered sigh. "I know, I know. It just doesn't feel like the holidays anyway. Like everything just feels off." She shook her head as she rolled over and buried her face into the material of the chair and sighed once more. "I've just been fucking up left and right Elijah. Like I keep putting space between myself and everyone and like I keep getting this fear that I'm gonna wake up one day and have no one at all."

He shook his head again. "Stop your nonsense, get out of your head Brianna. You need your family now more than ever. I promise you that much, so just open back up, let only the people who love you in. You should be able to tell who's here for you and who isn't. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. So, just take some deep breaths and think before you act."

Bri nodded and turned back over looking at the man. "I will heed your advice. I promise you that much babe."

"Please don't call me babe, you know I hate it." Elijah sighed. "Go, do something productive before you drive yourself crazy. Go get a little tiny tree and decorate if it'll make you feel better. Just let me and Aurelia relax. I have to be energized for later."

"Whatever." Bri smirked and waved the man off. "I'm gonna be just straight chillin in my bed, naps on naps on naps. Bring me Lumi if you get tired of her. I need some baby love cuddles." She nodded. "Thanks for the talk Elijah! You're the real M.V.P!"

 **December 23, 2012**

"What're you doing?" Bri inquired as she watched her daughter tug her luggage towards the stairs. "Anything breakable in there?"

Monica shook her head. "No, just clothes and shoes, why?"

The brunette shrugged as she grabbed Monica's suitcase and tossed it over the banister. "Worked smarter not harder. If there's nothing breakable, just toss the shit down the stairs or over the banister. Carry the important shit down the stairs, like your carry on with your cameras and lenses."

"Okay." Monica nodded as she kicked her suitcase down the stairs and smiled. "That was much easier. I'm gonna remember that tip for the next trip we take and we have to take a lot of stuff. I think I packed too much, don't you think?"

Bri shrugged. "I think you packed just enough." She smiled at the short brunette before pulling her into a hug. "You get to vacation with the family, in the snow, we get to make snow angels and have snowball fights baby. It's going to be amazing, plus you get to take as many pictures as your little heart desires to."

"I'm excited. I can't wait to play in the snow with my dad." She nodded and smiled. "I can't wait to hit grandpa with snowballs too. I'm gonna own him in a snowball fight mom. Are you going to help me out?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world." Bri laughed. "I love hitting him with snowballs, man, it was my favorite past time when I was your age, I'd make a whole bunch of them and just pelt him in the back and he'd be taking it and then he'd turn around and have this huge ass snowball and just kick my ass."

Monica laughed and shook her head. "I can't wait to go to the snow! It'll feel like home huh? Like we're back in Russia? Does Uncle Feliks still live there? In Colorado? Can we go see him huh? Why isn't Elijah coming? Does he not like Jacey and Happy anymore?"

"It'll feel like home but not as cold. Yes, Feliks still lives there. We can go visit him. Although, I didn't think you'd remember him. Elijah isn't coming because he has to deal with his brothers babe. let's just finish getting all packed up, everything downstairs by the door so we can just easily load everything up in the morning." Bri started down the stairs. "Then we can laze about the house. I think Jacey and her babies may stop by."

"I want to see the baby." Monica nodded. "I wanna see my Kol _a_."

"Oh, so he's yours now?" Bri smirked. "We'll just have to see what all happens and stuff."

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"Look at her." Bri poked Jacey's side and pointed towards Monica who was currently holding Kol and talking to him. "I wonder what she's telling him? You think she's telling him how crazy his mom and aunt are?"

Jacey laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, most likely. Not that he can understand her completely but I'm sure he'll recall something when he's older."

The brunette shook her head. "He'll figure out our craziness sooner or later. He's bound to give us some crazy ass looks when he's about one or two. He's gonna pick up on us just like everyone else has."

"I think he's already starting to." The blonde shrugged. "He's a perceptive little jerk."

"Don't call my baby a jerk." Bri shook her head again as she shifted on the sofa and rested her head in Jacey's lap. "I'm excited about this trip. If you hadn't already noticed the luggage in the foyer. We're actually on schedule this time."

"He's a jerk if he keeps up with his talking and giggling when I'm trying to get a few hours of sleep at night." Jacey rolled her eyes as she looked down at Bri. "Your daughter is trying to steal my kid from me."

"Oh, I know she is. She called him hers earlier." She shrugged. "At least she's not being distant these days. I think she's getting better with shit. I just need her and Camryn to hug it out just like we do but when will that ever be easy? They're us."

"Ew! Man nipples!" Monica screeched as she closed her eyes. "Roman put some clothes on!"

"Where are these man nipples Monica?" Roman shook his head as he covered up his chest. "I have clothes on! I just finished showering and stuff." He adjusted the basketball shorts on his hips and shrugged. "I wanted to see if you wanted to join me for some basketball because I remember you doing a lot of talking about how you'd beat me in a game of one on one Miss Monica."

"I will play you in one on one." Monica nodded as she slid off the couch easily, keeping Kol close to her as she made her way to Jacey and Brianna. "Can you watch my Kol _a_ I have to school Roman in some basketball. Come on Roman, you're lucky I have my shorts and sneakers on already, otherwise I'd decline your pitiful challenge."

Bri shook her head, watching Monica and Roman disappear before she looked at Jacey. "You're drooling everywhere… He's Elijah's replacement for this household while Elijah is off being a daddy. Monica loves giving him hell."

"I bet my brother loves that." Jacey rolled her eyes and smirked. "I wouldn't mind him being my suit. Not at all."

"Hush." The brunette chuckled as she ran a finger over Kol's nose. "He's so perfect, I can't really stand it. I want one of my own so bad. Everyone is getting babies but me. It's so not fair." She stood up from the couch and sighed. "I'm gonna start on some snacks. I know Javi and Cam will need some soon. You know the drill, make yourself at home and all comfortable. I will be right back J."

"Bring me some water." Jacey nodded. "Maybe if you love me enough, some bagel bites too!"

Bri nodded. "Yes, I'll bring you bagel bites and whatever else you want. You're my blondie, I'll wait on you hand and foot." She smiled and shrugged. "I'll be like ten minutes!"

 **December 27, 2012**

Monica tapped the snow off the toes of Uggs as she sat in the lobby of the hotel the entire family was staying in for the holidays. She knew she'd be in a lot of trouble once her dad came down to meet her but she couldn't resist trudging through the fresh snow that covered the grounds just outside the hotel. The snow made her feel more relaxed than ever. It reminded her of her old home back in Russia. She let out a sigh as she pulled her boots off her feet and let them drop to the floor as she looked around, watching guests move about the expansive area, not even paying a sliver of attention to her.

"Miss Hohrykova, I don't think you should be down here in the lobby by yourself." The concierge looking at the ten year old and shook his head. "Would you like me to escort you back up to your room? I can call your mom and let her know you're on your way back."

She shook her head slowly. "It's alright, I'm waiting for my dad. He's supposed to be down here any minute now." She looked towards the elevator and pointed towards Happy. "See, there he is. I'm already going to be in enough trouble as is. But thank you Brian."

Brian nodded. "If you need anything, just let me know. Good luck with getting out of trouble."

"Thank you." Monica nodded as she cut her gaze from Brian back to Happy as he drew closer. "I'll let you know if I need anything thank you." She dropped her feet back to the ground and quickly pulled her boots back on before sitting up straight as Happy stopped just short of her, a glare on his face. "Hi…"

He shook his head. "I told you not to go anywhere without an adult, Monica. Where's the adult you took with you since you just had to go outside?"

"I didn't take one." She shook her head. "I just wandered around for a little bit, getting my thoughts in order. I'm sorry."

He nodded his head. "Well go find your mom or a suit… She's been looking for you."

"I actually was hoping that we could talk before I go back up and find my mom." Monica nodded.

Happy nodded again. "Talk about what?"

"About you and me." She shrugged. "I wanna clear some things up."

The man shrugged. "Go ahead then.."

"Well, I was talking to my therapist. Well, during my last session back in September and I kinda realized something that I was doing but I hadn't realized I was doing until I got everything out and was talking about it with Dr. Burke." Monica sighed. "I guess I'm still kind of bitter about the whole Tacoma thing so I wanted you to feel how I felt so I kind of just up and disappeared from your life one day. It wasn't my smartest idea I was just hoping you'd know how I felt but I think I just made everything worse between us and I really regret doing that so much."

Happy nodded his head. "Well ok then… Alright, Monica."

"Yeah, well I'm sorry about it all and I guess I'll understand if you hate me and stuff." She nodded as she twisted her ring around her finger. "I kinda already hate myself for even doing it all."

Happy shook his head. "I couldn't ever hate you. Hurt, yeah… You wanted that though so I guess it's ok. Go find your mom kid, I'm going to the store."

"But we didn't come to a resolution on how I can fix everything." Monica sighed. "I wanna fix it all dad."

He shrugged. "I don't know how to fix it, Monica. I came back for you and you intentionally pull away from me so I can feel abandoned and hurt. There you go, kid. You broke my damn heart, your mission is accomplished." He nodded his head.

"I felt like that for two whole years." She shook her head. "You just came back and assumed all we be good again but it wasn't."

Happy nodded. "Then I'll talk to you in another year so I can have the full affect. _Just for you_." He shook his head. "That's how it goes… You do whatever it takes to make someone happy. If you want that, then I'll do it." He shrugged, running down his face. "The fact of the matter is, kid, I left for the sake of my club and my family. Never _ever_ meant to hurt you. This is different. You meant to do this."

"But I'm family too and like it just felt I was lesser family when you left." Monica wiped at her eyes. "I just never wanted you to leave dad. I had my mom leave, then my other parents and then Elijah is always leaving. I just never wanted you to be like that. I mean when you left, my mom and Elijah tried to fill in but it wasn't the same thing. I'm sorry that I pulled away and pushed you out of my life, it was just easier because I didn't wanna let you back in and have you leave again so I guess I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine and protect myself at the same time. I'm sorry."

Happy squatted down to the floor, pulling the girl to him. "You're my family, you're my kid and you're my daughter. I don't care about DNA, looks or our differences. You're mine. I just tell people my genes are shit because both of my girls look like their moms." He wiped at her tears. "You could kill me yourself and I would still love you, I'd still care about you. You were just some six year old that had too many questions but somehow along the day, I got stuck on you."

"You're still my absolute most favorite thing in the world." She nodded as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry about all of this dad, I really am."

Happy wrapped his arms around the brunette and lifted her up. "You should've talked to me, Monica. You should've told me when I first left that it wasn't working for you, I missed you so much."

"I couldn't tell you that. I thought it'd make you happy to go to Tacoma and help your family." Monica buried her face in his neck. "I missed you so so much."

He hugged her to him as he moved toward one of the couches and he sat down. "You ever feel hurt, sad, mad, upset, happy, _anything…_ Talk to me. I will always listen and if you need me to talk, then I'll do it too."

"I love you dad. I don't think I ever tell you that enough." She pulled back to look at him. "I really miss hanging out with you and drawing."

He nodded. "I love you so much, kid." He wiped away her tears. "I miss you too, miss having you and Cam in the studio with me. You two always get the art out of me."

"Cam doesn't like me still." Monica shook her head. "I gotta fix things more with her."

The man shrugged. "She's just having a hard time understanding why she has a mean sister."

"I'm equally mean to her and Javier. I don't discriminate against my siblings." She sighed. "I'm gonna apologize to her. I know it won't make up for me missing her birthday but I'll try."

Happy nodded. "Seeing you was all she talked about. Wanting to see you and show you her presents and have fun with you…" He shook his head. "You hurt her so much."

"I know, I was a bitch to her and she didn't deserve it at all." Monica shook her head. "Ugh, I've been such a terrible person this whole year."

Happy chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't say that word. But yeah you're right. Baby blondie is too sweet to get beat up on, ya know?"

"Yeah she is." Monica nodded. "I'll make amends, if it's the last thing I do."


	30. Sleep&Pillows

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 **Ah, here we go for the revamp, a nice long chapter.**

 **enjoy.**

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 **April 12, 2013**

Seven months pregnant and Brianna Hohrykova was feeling it all over. From the way her back ached to the way she couldn't get comfortable when she laid in her bed at night. Tossing and turning, trying to find the perfect position. Tonight was no different, she couldn't sleep, she shouldn't lay comfortably, she couldn't shake the discomfort she felt in her back and ankles. She was down right miserable and counting down the days until she could evict her son from her womb.

"You're really going to need to get the fuck out of my soon kid. Two months and your lease is officially up." She muttered as she rubbed her belly and stood up from the large bed. "I have no clue where your dad is either, he's probably asleep comfortably at the clubhouse right now." She yawned as she moved out of the bedroom and towards the stairs and slowly descended them. Her stomach growling as soon as she reached the bottom. "Yeah? You're hungry now too? Do you ever stop being so needy my love?"

She entered the kitchen and moved straight to the pantry, finding her hidden stash of cookies and candy that she had put out of reach of Javier and Monica. "I want to let you know that you're making me super fat kid. Like this isn't even funny. I will never be able to snap back into shape. I'll have to actually hit the gym and get a trainer. Maybe I'll have Roman or Anthony train me. They're in shape. I want you to know that I love you though, even if I stay fat as fuck after you're here. I just wanna hold you already."

"Is it selfish that I just want you all to myself? I don't even wanna share you with your daddy." Bri sighed as she moved out of the kitchen and towards the media room. "I'm gonna miss living here full time when we move in a few weeks. I swear I'm not crazy, I talked to your brother just like this and your older sister too. It was just easy as can be. Just to talk to them and let them hear my voice so they were used to it when they arrived. Your sister was so damn difficult. She had me going crazy, I was in labor forever and I kept trying to leave but your uncle Elijah wasn't having it at all. He got me through it and then I was holding this gorgeous green eyed little girl, man. It was just insane. I can't wait until I get to hold you baby boy."

Bri smiled to herself as she settled into one of the oversized recliners and lifted the leg rest. Hoping that the comfort she was feeling would last longer than fifteen minutes. "Please just let me stay comfortable for a while baby boy. Also, how do you feel about the name Bryson? Is that too ya know, basic? Kick once if you love it, twice if you hate it." She laughed as she felt him kick twice. "Alright, Bryson is out of the question that's for sure."

"Who exactly are you talking to Bri Bri?" Roman popped up behind the brunette and smirked as he watched her jump slightly. "I was asleep, woke up to your talking…"

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone was in here." She shook her head as she rubbed her belly. "I'm talking to my darling little boy." She nodded and smiled. "We're having a bonding session over here."

"Get back to it. Sorry If I'm interrupting." He nodded as he laid back down on the leather couch. "Don't wanna cut into mommy and son bonding time."

Bri waved him off. "It's alright, I can't sleep and Jax isn't here yet still. So, I'm hoping he's safe and that when he gets here I'll be able to wrap myself around him and sleep for a few hours. I need a power nap at least."

"I'm here if you want to talk to someone who can respond in something other than kicks." Roman sat up slowly. "I know you're getting all sad about moving to Charming."

"It's a needed change." Bri nodded. "It's kinda what I always wanted. I've always wanted a cute cookie cutter home and a family. It's happening."

"So you're not sad?" He sat down next to her and smiled. "I sensed that you were, my bad."

"It's not that I'm sad, it's just a bittersweet feeling. I kind of expected to live, love and die in this house. I mean I've done the first two and the third is a long way off but still." She shrugged. "It's been nothing but amazing experiences for me this last year. I went from being absolutely heartbroken over Juice to head over heels in love with Jax. I've grown up and I want to make sacrifices and him make sacrifices for me. This is the least I can do. He hasn't asked much of me and this move is something I _want_ to do. A few months ago, I was still wavering on it but it's happening and I'm excited about it, excited to start the new journey with him, sad to not wake up in this house though. I still can't be too mad though, it'll still be here and I can always visit it when I'm a little lonely." She laughed. "My sister is next door, I'll be visiting her _every_ chance that I get. So, it'll be good, for me, for my family, for everyone."

"Well, I'm glad that this is what you want to do." Roman nodded. "It's good that you're following your heart. I know you've had it rough with the last guy but I think this Jax guy is the one for you, as corny as that may sound. It just seems to work seamlessly between the two of you."

"Thanks loser face. Don't go getting all sentimental as fuck on me now. I don't like that shit." She smirked at him as she patted his cheek. "Now, put on a movie and let's see if we can't get me to fall asleep for a little while."

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"It's raining." Bri murmured as she shifted on the sofa. "Jax, baby. It's actually raining. It usually never rains in April."

Jax rubbed his eyes as he turned to look out the window. "I know that look in your eyes Brianna, don't even think about going outside and splashing around. You remember how sick you were when we got back from Aspen? Couldn't fucking do a damn thing because you were so miserable."

"But…" She sighed as she settled back in against Jax. "I won't go out and play. I promise babe. I'll admire it from in here."

"Good." He smirked at her before kissing her cheek, his large hands going straight to her belly. "I can't wait to meet this kid. He needs to hurry it up and get out here. I got so much shit to teach him."

"Well, he's going to make his appearance when he's ready. Maybe he'll pop out a few days early, that'd be kinda nice." She nodded. "At least we'll be in the new house by the time he shows his handsome little face."

"What if he's ugly?" The man bit back a chuckle as he watched his girlfriend roll her eyes. "I'm kidding but you know some newborns just look weird."

"I know!" She laughed and shook her head, her hands resting on top of his. "Not our son though. He's going to be fucking perfect. One ugly parent plus one gorgeous parent equals one gorgeous ass baby."

"Which one of us is the ugly one?" He cocked an eyebrow at the brunette. "Or is it all subjective?"

"It's subjective." Bri nodded as she twisted to the side and rested her legs in her boyfriend's lap as she laid her head against the arm of the sofa and yawned. "The rain makes me really sleepy and it doesn't help that your kid hasn't been letting me get comfortable enough to sleep a full eight hours. He just lets me nap. He's such a little asshole already."

"Leave him alone." Jax shook his head as he pressed on her stomach. "He's just like you, trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep in."

"You guys are cute." Monica smiled as she lowered her camera. "I love candid pictures. I've been getting better at them, just ask Javier and Camryn. They're one of my favorite couples to take pictures of."

"Come here baby girl." Jax patted the spot next to him and smiled. "We thought you'd be down for a longer nap since you weren't feeling that well earlier."

She shrugged as she settled into his side. "I napped for a few hours, I woke up and feel better. I also had the motivation to take some pictures so that's what I was doing. I took at least a hundred before I made it down here finally."

"Is that so?" He grinned at her as he accepted her camera and started going through the photos. "You're getting better at this every day." He mumbled as he stopped at the picture of him and Brianna staring at each other. "I want this one, I want it printed and framed. I'll pay you for it." He passed the camera back before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. "Don't let her see it until it's framed, I know Jace can help you with that. Alright babygirl?"

Monica nodded as she looked at the three crisp one hundred dollar bills in her hand. "I won't show it to her." She moved off the sofa. "I'm gonna call Jacey. I gotta get her to help me with this soon. My first paying job! I can't believe it. It's so awesome!" She grinned widely as she moved towards the stairs. "I'll be back!"

"You just made her entire month." Bri opened her eyes to look at her boyfriend. "She's going to remember this moment forever. Her first print, her first commission, her first job. She's never going to forget this. You're her first customer. It was nice of you babe."

Jax shrugged. "It's the least I could do, she's a talented photographer." He smiled. "I loved the picture. I know you'll love it when you get it." He leaned towards her and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Take your ass back to sleep while you can."

 **April 16, 2013**

Brianna Hohrykova was bored out of her mind. She was for the first time in a very long time, completely alone in her home. Her dad had taken the kids for the day, the usual suits were nowhere to be found and of course, her sister Nik was off tending to some stripper emergency. She huffed as she kicked her blankets off her body and stared at the ceiling for a moment before rolling towards the edge of the bed. "Blah."

The brunette moved towards her closet, her hands rubbing in small circles over her belly as she entered the closet, her grey eyes moving over each section of her closet. Color coordinated, an annoying system to keep up with since the bulk of her clothes were either red or white. "Alright, my darlin', you're gonna have to help mom pick out something to wear." She smiled as she moved towards the section of dresses, her hands running over the fabrics of her favorite ones before she finally pulled one roughly off the hanger. "Good choice."

She pulled on the gray and black baby doll dress and grinned at her reflection in the mirror. "Displays my tits and belly at the same time. I love it." She chuckled to herself as she shoved her feet into a pair of black high top converse, not even bothering to tie them as she grabbed her phone and keys from the table by her bedroom door. "Let's go see what your relatives are doing next door." She padded out of the room and down the stairs as best she could, her hands ghosting over the banisters.

"I really need to stop talking to you." Bri mumbled as she locked the front door behind her and started towards the Bat Cave, hoping that someone would be home. She looked at her phone and smiled at the lock screen, a picture of Jax kissing her baby bump. She turned off the screen before sticking the phone into her dress' pocket as she entered the property. Her feet shuffling slowly towards the front door. Bri let herself in and moved towards the living room, stopping as she found Happy, fast asleep in his recliner. "Bingo." She whispered as she walked up behind the recliner, her fingers tapping over the man's face and head in an attempt to wake him up. "Come on Happy, I'm bored. Wake up…"

The man turned his head, swatting at Bri's hand as he grunted. "Quit." He grumbled before he stretched an arm out, wrapping it around Bri before he yanked her into the recliner. "Leave me alone woman."

"But I'm bored as hell, me and the baby." She shook her head. "You awake enough to entertain me now, huh?"

He shook his head, placing a large hand over her mouth. "It's bed time, hush little woman. Pregnant… Oh shit! Blondie!"

"I'm offended that you don't know my accent anymore Hap." Bri spoke in a slow deliberate Russian accent. "It's your favorite brunette."

He started rubbing her belly and smiled. "That's so great though, baby! Another baby… Better look nothing like you this time. I need one to look exactly like me. Ok?"

"This one is gonna look exactly like you for sure." She nodded as she bit back a round of laughter. "A perfect little boy that'll look like ya Hap."

He gasped, shaking his head. "Pinky promise, blondie? You got promise!" He nodded, a grin appearing on his face. "Havin' my baby! What a lovely way-." He stopped singing and shook his head. "Boy?! Another boy!"

"Yeah, I pinky promise." Bri nodded as she linked her pinky with his. "Yup! Apparently my body just wants to bless us with another boy. I'm not complaining though."

Hap sighed. "You make me so so so happy, baby. I love you, blondie." He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Yeah, I love you too meanie face." The brunette nodded. "You wanna wake up now though?" She tapped lightly on his face as she shook her head. "We'd have an even better conversation if you were fully awake Hap."

He shook his head, resting his head comfortably against her breasts. "No! The pillows are comfortable. I'm going nowhere. Shush. Just go to sleep and we'll wake up later. Tell Bri to come get the kids."

Bri shook her head before giving up and resting her head against Happy's. "I hate to burst your bubble but I am Bri…"

"Nuh uh, you're my baby. You're so comfy too… Don't leave me baby! I love you." Happy buried his face in the brunette's cleavage, sighing. "Whoa! You don't - holy fuck!" Happy jolted back, his dark eyes on Bri. "What the hell is going on right now?"

"I came over to talk and be entertained… You decided to pull me onto your lap and motorboat my tits." She smirked at the man. "Good to see you're finally awake and aware..."

He shrugged and started to smirk. "At least I know I like to have fun in my sleep… Where's J?"

"I don't think they're home but I don't know for sure. I let myself in and found you sleeping so I tried to wake you up." Bri shrugged. "I obviously failed but my tits succeeded."

Happy shrugged again. "I like tits, what can I say? Apparently yours are included in my preferences." He nodded.

"Just rub my belly again, it was lovely." The brunette smiled. "I've been here for like over twenty minutes and the highlight has been the belly rub and the motorboat."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Your kid loves me… Hope you're good with that." He nodded, grinning at the brunette. "You lost your opportunity when ya woke me up. I clearly was enjoying myself."

"Well, as entertaining as it was to see you mistake me for Jacey, I came over here to talk in stuff. We haven't been besties in like a year Hap." Bri shook her head. "I miss you fuckface."

Happy shrugged again. "You're lucky it stopped where it did." He chuckled as he slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, I know… You slapped me and walked out on me. I was destroyed." He smirked.

"At least you can tell the difference between my pillows and Jacey's." She nodded. "Well, yeah. I know I slapped you. I do however slightly regret not being your bestie for over a year. I kinda went ghost. At least you got a vacation though from the priss."

The man shook his head. "The scent… You both have different scents. She smells like coconuts and pineapples. You don't." He shrugged again. "I didn't need a vacation from my prissy ass brat of a bestie. I needed you back then. You always had a way of being there with words of wisdom…"

"Because I smell like vanilla and brown sugar." Bri nodded and sighed. "I know. I guess I messed up but like I can't do anything now but ask for a second chance?"

He nodded. "It works, it's good." He ran a hand down his face. "I'm almost certain that I've been trying to explain to you and my kid that I don't hate you, either of you. Whether you like it or not, I still love you both, I still care and I'm not going anywhere. Get over it."

"I know you don't hate me. I haven't done anything to warrant that type of emotion from you." She smiled. "I just kept my distance because I didn't like what happened. I know I overstepped because I wasn't even entitled to an opinion on what goes on between you and Jacey but as we all know, I like to stick my nose where it doesn't belong."

Happy shrugged. "I expected you to burn something, to be something. Me, the house, one of my Harleys. Who knows."

"I'll own up to being a little crazy but I'm not completely psycho. I'd never burn anything of monetary value, nope. All off that can be replaced. I couldn't have burned you either, I'm not that mean. Plus, I think you got what you deserved, with Jacey and the kids moving in with me for a little bit. God, I miss that." Bri sighed. "Jacey, Cam and Kol all day, every day. It was the life."

The man shrugged. "Have 'em back… They drive me crazy. Jacey with wedding shit, Camryn with her sass and Kol… well nevermind, I'm keeping my boy. He chills with me." He nodded his head, smiling. "That time was hard, but I'm glad she has you to pick her up."

"Ugh, the wedding. I'm so excited but like not excited because I know I'll see the cake and wanna eat it in one bite because I'll still be all whacked out of balance after having the baby." Bri shook her head and smiled. "That whole time I was still rooting for you and Jacey to get back together and make shit work."

Happy chuckled. "Don't touch my cake, I'll kill you. You and whatever fat thing you're carrying around." He nodded. "I thought for sure she was done."

"Hey, don't call my son fat, he's just got baby fat." She laughed. "Nah, she was just a little lost but never done."

The man shook his head. "He's a fat ass, get over it. You're getting big as fuck." He smirked at her. "Why are you still on my lap? Knew you liked me.."

"Do you see this belly? Do you think it's easy for me to get up on my own? I literally had to roll out of bed." Bri shook her head. "I've never been this big before."

Happy started laughing, nodding his head. "You're carrying a big ass kid… what do you want me to do about it? I didn't knock you up." He shook his head. "As far as we're concerned, that ship sailed almost eleven years ago…"

"I want you to remind me not to do this again. I dunno what I was thinking." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "We shoulda had another Monica together, maybe not a girl but a meanie face boy! Nah, that wouldn't have even worked out. One kid with you is enough for me."

he chuckled, shaking his head. "You're gonna have at least three more kids with Jax's ugly ass. It's just how it goes." He ran a hand down his face. "Kid's a mess, you got it backwards. One kid with _you_ is enough."

"I'll have two more, _maybe_." Bri shrugged. "What's that supposed to mean? Huh? I wish I would've had two little girls when we met. That would've been the ultimate hell for you but I would've enjoyed it."

Happy shook his head. "See… this relationship right here. This is why I'm so utterly destroyed over you. I want a divorce!"

"I'm fine with a divorce, one word: _alimony_." She smirked at the man. "And you can't even prove that I am rich. Nope. So, draw up the papers and cut me a check, please."

The man groaned, rolling his eyes. "Fuck it, you're mine forever then. Don't even care." He nodded. "You're stuck with me for life."

"A whole lifetime to annoy you. That's good with me." Bri nodded. "So, when are you throwing me a baby shower? I want one."

Happy shook his head. "You don't need one though. I got some clothes that kid can fit in." He chuckled.

"I want an excuse to wear a long flowy white maxi dress and eat cupcakes without being judged!" She laughed and shook her head. "I'm thinking that since you're not throwing me a shower, then I'm gonna go shopping tomorrow and buy everything that my little heart desires."

The man rolled his eyes. "How about you just put on the dress, stuff your face and quit whining… You know you don't care about being judged."

"I do care now that strangers think I'm carrying twins." Bri shook her head. "I've been asked it so many times that I just say yes now. I can't wait to have this kid."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Whiny ass… How far along are you now though?" He poked at her belly.

"I am seven months." She smiled. "If you keep poking, he's gonna start kick boxing."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "I'll kick his ass too. Don't play."

"Be nice to your nephew." Bri pressed on her belly and shrugged. "See, he just punched me. He's abusive."

Happy shook his head. "Let me just deliver him, I've had two kids… I can do it." He nodded eagerly. "Mine turned out just fine too."

"He has to finish cooking first." She sighed. "You wanna order some pizza and wings?"

He groaned loudly, shaking his head. "Uh, no, I'm not patient enough for all that." He shrugged. "I'll let you take one of my credit cards tomorrow on your shopping spree if you can get it for free when it gets here."

"See if you can talk him into coming out a little early. I'm sure he's ready to get out too, he's running out of room." Bri nodded. "Deal, I'll get it for free."

"Quit feeding him and he wouldn't be so fat." He shook his head again. "Nah ya won't… Not today."

"I only eat when I'm hungry." She shrugged. "Yeah, I will get the pizza and wings for free. I may be pregnant but I still got it."

Happy shook his head once more. "Nah, nah, nah, you eat when you're bored. Not when you're hungry." He poked her belly again. "I didn't say you lost it… Clearly ya got something if my sleeping form wants to get in your shirt."

"Well, it's not my fault that I'm bored all the time. During the week the kids are at school. Today my dad decided to take them to the aquarium. I'm just trying my hardest to stay busy." Bri smiled. "Yeah, two giant pillows."

Happy rolled his eyes. "I thought you were J though so I was trying to enjoy myself, to be honest." He chuckled. "I really need to know where the hell Jacey is with my kids. You haven't talked to her?"

"You must've been in a really good slumber." Bri shrugged as she pulled her phone from her bra and looked at the screen before texting Jacey. "We'll find out soon enough where she's at. Maybe she went to the grocery store."

Happy shook his head, eyeing the brunette before grabbing her phone from her. "Best in a while. Didn't have any kids on me, no naked woman trying to get shit out of me. It was peaceful." He chuckled. "What do you and her text about? I mean, really.."

"We mostly text about life." The brunette shrugged. "Occasionally, you. Lately it's been mostly wedding stuff and me bitching about getting fat and her telling me that I'm not fat, just pregnant."

The man chuckled. "So basically the same shit you two whine about when you're together?" He shook his head. "You're seriously not fat, shut up…"

"Yeah, just with like pictures and stuff added in." Bri rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'll try to remember that."

Happy moved out of the recliner and started to stretch. "You too are damn wrecks. She text back yet?" He passed her phone back to her.

"She's at Walmart." She shrugged. "I'm never leaving this recliner."

He shrugged. "Tell her to get some Corona and some more honey. I used it all." He eyed her before nodding his head. "Tell her to get some chocolate syrup too. Yeah, that'll be good too. You're out of your mind. That's my recliner, I love it."

"Honey and chocolate syrup… You're so gonna be licking that off each other later. I just know it!" Bri laughed. "You got out of it, so it's now fair game, that's how it works."

Happy shook his head. "Uh no, you whore, me and Cam are having ice cream sundaes. Thank you very much." He smirked at her. "I might lick Jacey later though."

"Jacey told me about the honey thing, warm honey or was it warm syrup. I don't know, it was something along those lines." She shook her head. "I'm gonna have my dad just carry me home in this chair, I'll reimburse you."

He start laughing, shaking his head. "I don't know what you're going on about… What warm honey thing?" He shrugged. "You can get murdered in it too. Where is good ol' dad at? I can call him that now, can't I? I'm marrying his kid."

"Um, something about licking hot honey off her tits and kitty." Bri shrugged. "I just said, he's at the aquarium. Don't call him dad. He's mine not yours… I still can't believe you guys are finally getting married. About damn time."

He chuckled, covering his face. "What? I don't know anything about that…" He shook his head. "I wasn't listening… I was thinking about my woman. Damn. He's mine by marriage, shut up. Stingy ass."

"I dunno why you guys can't hold off for like three years, then we do a big double wedding." She chuckled. "It'd be amazing… Fine, you can have him. I don't want him anyway."

Happy shook his head again. "Nope, I'm not sharing my _huge_ day with you or your ugly ass boyfriend. It's me and my blondie's day."

"Fine." Bri smiled. "Have your huge day with your blondie. I'll get mine eventually and I'm not inviting you because you called Jax ugly."

He gasped. "Excuse me? I'll crash it. Don't play around with me, Bri. I'm invited."

"We're not even gonna get married." She shrugged as she crossed her legs. "So, just relax your ass."

He shook his head. "Whatever you say, princess, whatever you say. I heard around the Bat Cave otherwise but whatever."

"Ehh." Bri shrugged as she pushed up out of the recliner. "I'm not getting married. Are you aware that there's only like four Hohrykova men left. Like if they don't have kids, the Hohrykova name is gonna die. Then all of us girls are going off and getting rid of the last name or tacking onto it. It's a mess. Technically, I just became a Hohrykova again in 2011."

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "Then say no when he asks, Bri.."

"Can you just hush?" Bri shook her head as she toed off her sneakers. "I came here for fun conversation, not this serious shit we just got into. Let's make it stop, alright?"

He threw his arms into the air before he dropped onto the couch. "Hope Jacey kicks your ass for wearing shoes in her house…"

"Wearing shoes in the house never killed anyone. We wear shoes at my house and the carpet is still white and the hardwood floors are still shiny and perfect." The brunette sat back down in the recliner and shrugged. "Fuck, I forgot to order the pizza and wings." She pulled out her phone again. "You want anything?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Don't be an ass, Brianna. She doesn't say shit about any rules you might have. It's her damn house. She doesn't want shoes past the foyer then that's her damn rules. Respect it." He shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."

"I don't have any serious rules." Bri shook her head as she got out of the recliner and picked up her shoes. "I'll see you later. I need my bed."

He sighed, shaking his head. "You need to sit back down and stop being so damn whiny, Brianna." He studied her carefully.

"I'm not being whiny. I'm pregnant, uncomfortable and emotional." She dropped her shoes in foyer before moving back to the living room. "I'm just absolutely miserable."

The man shrugged. "You are being whiny, you just upset over Jacey having a house rule. It's mainly to keep blood and dirt off her floors but still." He shook his head. "You need to have that kid."

"I've gotten sixteen hours of sleep the last three days. So, I may be a whole lot of whiny bitch today." Bri sighed. "I really do need to have this kid already."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Sit down, close your eyes and relax a little. Take your ass to sleep. I'm sure one of my overly cuddly kids wants a nap and they'll be happy to force you to sleep too."

"Fine." She shook her head as she sat back in the recliner. "I really didn't miss your eye rolls or bossiness."

He shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers, princess. So sit and relax before I force you to." He sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't miss your touchiness."

"I'm relaxing." Bri closed her eyes. "I am."

Happy shook his head, standing up from the couch. "Put the leg rest up, recline all the way back. Get the full effect, Bri."

"Aright." She pushed back and settled further into the recliner as the leg rest went up and the back reclined further. "Alright, that's lovely."

He nodded his head. "Yes, I know… It's my chair." He laid a blanket out over her. "You'll probably get attacked by Kol, he's been in need of laying on you."

"Thank you." Bri smiled and nodded. "I do need some Kol cuddles."

The man shrugged. "You'll get him and his cuddles. Sounds like they're back anyway…"

"Yay!" The brunette grinned. "Give me my baby and his cuddles."

Happy stood and sighed, hearing Jacey coming into kitchen. "Hear that? Mad crying." He smirked, watching his daughter come out of the kitchen before Jacey appeared behind her, holding Kol. "What'd you do to him?"

"Nice to see you too. Shopping was great, thanks." Jacey shook her head, passing Kol to the man. "He's tired and wants to fight me on it so you can deal with him."

The man turned, passing Kol to Bri. "Have at his mean ass… I don't want anything to do with him." He shook his head.

"Bri?! Hi, baby! What are you doing here?" Jacey moved to the recliner, bending to kiss Bri's cheek. "How are you feeling? How's my baby?" She rolled her eyes at the sight of her son laying down on top of Bri.

"I was bored and alone at home so I decided to come over here for some entertainment." Bri smiled. "I'm whiny as hell. The baby is good, he's kicking and punching but it's not too bad."

Jacey pressed another kiss to the brunette's head before doing the same to her son. "Blame Hap, that's what I used to do… Babies love him. Babies and kids, I don't know why." She smirked.

Bri laughed and nodded. "It's because he's mellow and kids need that at times." She settled further into the recliner, sighing as she felt Kol begin to run his fingers through her hair as he babbled into her ear. "I think he's trying to put me to sleep with a story." She closed her eyes and let out a long yawn. "It's working-" She yawned again before finally giving into the fatigue and drifting off into dreamland.

* * *

 **AN: As you all know, I took it upon myself to do a revamp of inevitable. It was needed, I felt that the story was no longer staying true to the original plot line and for that I had to take a few steps back and evaluate a lot of things about this story. The biggest thing being where I want it to go and now that I have that all figured out, it's bound to make this story flow better than ever. So I hope you enjoy the new plot and continue to read and review the story. As always thanks for the support. It means a lot.**


	31. Little Prince

**April 23, 2013**

"This is so cute." Bri held up the black beanie and examined the reaper embroidered on the front carefully before turning it over and running her fingers over _Creed_. "He's going to look pretty bad ass rocking this. His dad is going to _love_ it." She nodded as she placed it back into the gold gift bag sitting on her desk. "Thank you so much."

"It's not problem." Nik smiled at her older sister. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy him that. I know it's not blue but I think black is a little more badass." She shifted Kajsa on her lap and yawned. "Your niece is running a fever, I want you to check her cute little ears."

The brunette nodded and grinned. "Oh, a gift in exchange for a free check up huh?" She rubbed her belly and nodded. "Yeah, let's take her into the exam room and I'll check her little ears. Kajsa, you got an ear infection most likely, I can tell by the way she keeps grabbing her left ear. Poor little Miss."

"That's what I figured, I gave her some baby motrin last night." Nik followed after her sister and smiled. "So, how do you like the whole having your own little clinic? Is it everything you dreamed of or is it more?"

Bri shrugged. "It's not where I need it to be but it's going to get there. When I thought of having a firm with my name on it, I was thinking it'd be a shiny building in the city. Cosmetic surgery nonetheless. Now I'm running a family clinic. It's something different and I can't say that I'm mad about it. I get to deal with babies, kids, teens and adults. It feels rewarding."

"Good." The blonde smiled as she sat on the exam table with her daughter on her lap. "Just help my baby girl get better. It kills me to see her in pain. I hate it so much."

She nodded as she finished washing her hands. "I'm just gonna check her ear. Then I'll prescribe some antibiotics. Can't let it go untreated or she could face some hearing loss." She squeezed her niece's cheeks and smiled. "It's not gonna hurt my love. You'll be better in no time. Remember Nik, she has to finish _every_ drop of her antibiotics. No cutting out because you see her getting better. Got it?"

"I got it." Nik nodded. "I appreciate this… I really do. I didn't wanna be one of those new moms that take their kid to the emergency room. I figured I'd go to the doctor in the family."

"You know I love helping out the babies of the family." Bri smirked as she kissed Kajsa's forehead. "You just have an inner ear infection baby girl. I'm gonna give you some yummy bubblegum flavored medicine and something for the pain and you're gonna be good as new in no time my dear."

"You're so good with babies." Nik chuckled. "She's so infatuated with your hair though, look at her tugging on it. Also, when are you going to cut it again?"

"Never." She shook her head. "I like it this length for the time being."

"Whatever." Nik shrugged. "You'll get tired of it. We do have to head out, so thanks for the prescriptions. I promise I won't stop the antibiotics until the bottle is completely empty." She smiled. "I just want to go home and cuddle her up."

"Yeah, yeah." Bri rolled her eyes. "I love you both. Be safe."

 **.**

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"What exactly are these men here for?" The redhead inquired as she looked behind Bri to see three burly men in expensive suits. "They your lawyers or something?" She trained her eyes back on the very pregnant brunette. "I didn't know nothin' about you bringing ya lawyers along?" Her accent was thick as she shook her head.

Bri shrugged. "They're not my lawyers. They're my family. The biggest one is my dad Aleksandr, the smaller one is my uncle Igor and the devilishly handsome tan one is my brother-in-law Anthony. They just came to help me make a decision about the SUV I want because my boyfriend couldn't be here today, he's away on business. They won't cause any trouble unless they need to Tabitha."

Tabitha nodded, forcing a smile on her face as she started to walk towards the row of luxury SUVs. "Are you financing through a bank?"

The brunette scoffed. "No. I'm paying cash. I can do actual cash, check, debit card. I do not finance and I surely don't want to be paying off a car for the next six years." Bri rubbed her belly and shrugged. "I want something big but not too big, it doesn't have to be over the top. I just need to be able to fit my whole family and the pets in it. This is my third child I'm pregnant with. The other two are ten and three. I also sometimes take my niece and nephew out with me, so I need room for two car seats, two booster seats. So it needs to at least seat five in the back."

"So the Range Rover is out of the question." Tabitha shook her head. "I'll show you the LR4, it's a nice alternative to the Rover. Seats seven. Also we have the Escalade and Infiniti SUVs, you may like those."

Bri nodded as she looked at the boxy SUV before looking back at her dad. "I love the look of this but I might want to look at a Tahoe or a Yukon." She tapped her chin before looking towards Anthony. "Nikola would love this in red. I want it in white though, do you have a white one I could drive off with today?"

"Yes we do, the white is fully loaded." The woman smiled. "You keep looking around, I'm going to go pull the white LR4, the Tahoe, Yukon and a few others you may like."

"Thank you." Brianna nodded as she watched the woman walk off before looking towards her dad. "I want this one, white, fully loaded, the windows dark as they can be legally. I want it. I will get it."

Aleksandr shook his head. "You sound like a little brat right now." He pulled her into a hug and smirked. "I'll get you this one. It'll be a present, from me to you. A baby shower gift." He kissed the top of her head and smiled. "It looks like an SUV that'll suit you anyway."

"Thank you dad, I love you." She smiled up at him. "The kid loves you too, he's kicking up a damn storm right now. "It's really fucking awesome." She nodded. "I want to buy the Escalade too. I just want to look as cookie cutter as can be when we move to Charming. I have to show you guys the house, it's gorgeous. It's perfect. Jax really was thoughtful about picking the house to show me. I love it. Like in my imagination, when I pictured myself living in the suburbs, the house he bought me was the house I pictured."

"I can't wait to see you try to be cookie cutter." He lifted up her arm and smirked. "You gonna remove the ink? Remember when you got the first one? I told you no one would take you seriously as a doctor or anything? I was right but you kept pushing and made people respect you and take you seriously."

"Whatever." She laughed and shook her head. "The ink is staying, it's forever. It's my life story on full display."

"I get it." He nodded. "I have ink of my own. Most notably the tattoo of your name. I always display that with pride whenever I can." Aleksandr smiled as he watched the line of SUVs slowly come towards them. "She knows you have money and wants to sell you the most expensive thing."

"Well, I want the LR4 and the Escalade." Bri shrugged. "Clean and simple. You're the best daddy."

 **April 30, 2013**

"So, this is the house huh?" Aleksandr looked at the structure before him before looking down at Brianna. "I think this is the house for suburb Bri."

Bri smirked. "I told you it was perfect. They're just finishing up painting the outside and interior. It'll be ready before the baby is here and I'm super excited about it. The outside is gorgeous, the landscaping is on point. You should see the backyard, big, spacious, swimming pool, that has a fence around it and an alarm so I don't have to worry about the babies falling in. It's just perfect and Javi gets his jungle gym back there too, so he can be a little monkey all the time. I also have planter boxes, so when I'm up to it, I can garden back there too."

Aleksandr couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he listened to his daughter go on about her new home. It was what he had been waiting for since she had come back to the states. "I'm loving this excitement that you have."

"I love it too." She nodded and smiled back at him. "It's nothing short of amazing." She sighed. "There's also a guestroom for if you wanna stay over sometimes with the babies."

"I will be staying on occasion." He nodded as they walked up the cobblestone path. "I'm so over you though. Leaving the nest, not taking a suit with you. All grown up and being an amazing mother."

Bri shook her head as she opened the front door. "It's a change up, there's no carpet until you get to the bedrooms." She shrugged. "Also, don't go getting all sentimental because I'll have to kick your ass because I'll start crying because I'm a hormonal mess of emotions at times. I cried earlier because I missed McDonald's breakfast by three minutes."

"My poor girl." He chuckled as he pulled her into a hug and sighed. "You're terrible. I can't wait until you give birth and your hormones start going back to normal. You'll still be a mess but at least you'll be less hormonal."

"Shut up." She laughed and shook her head. "Look around, make yourself at home. Literally. I'm gonna check on the nursery and see if the color is perfect for my baby boy."

"Look at this, we have suits in Charming." Jax drawled as he came up behind the pair. "Welcome to Casa Teller. I'm working on her getting to switch her last name to Teller." He smirked as he pressed a kiss to Bri's temple, his hand on her belly before he shook Aleksandr's hand with his free hand. "It's good to see you again Aleksandr."

"Likewise." Aleksandr nodded as he grinned at Jax. "It's been a while since the last time we got to really sit down and talk. I want you to come to dinner with me this weekend. Attendance isn't _optional_."

"I won't miss it." He nodded slowly watching as the man disappeared before he turned his attention back on Brianna. "I think your dad may want to kill me or something…"

Bri laughed. "He's a protective papa bear. He's not going to kill you unless you give him a solid reason to."

"Well, I'm gonna be on my best behavior." He kissed her head and smiled. "You going up to check out the nursery?"

"Yeah, I just wanna see if the colors are right." She nodded as she grabbed his hand and let him lead her slowly up the stairs. "I love this place, I love _everything_ about it. I can't believe I'm actually in love with this place after all the years I've spent in houses with names. I don't even wanna nickname this place." She chuckled as they stopped outside of the nursery, her eyes on their son's initials painted on the door. "I know the colors are gonna be amazing."

Jax smirked as he watched Bri open the door and walk into the nursery. "So, do you love the color or is it all wrong?"

"Jax!" Bri looked back at her boyfriend before looking back at the room. It was painted perfectly, the shades of blue complimented each other perfectly but more than that, the furniture stood out the most. "You sneaky bastard, you did this? I love it! You're perfect. I love it so much. Babe! You finished the nursery, it's perfect. I can't believe it." She moved to him and wrapped her arms around him as she buried her face in his neck. "Jax, you're amazing. I love it. I even love that you had Happy paint the name over the crib. Yeah, I recognize Hap's art anywhere."

He laughed, kissing the brunette's head as they walked further into the room. "I figured I'd surprise you and finish it. You made it easy though, you had all of this on that little registry you printed out for me. I just went with Hap and the prospect to get it." He shrugged. "I'm glad you love it though. The nursery is fit for a Prince, huh?"

"It really is." She nodded as she wiped at her eyes. "I'm a fucking cry baby right now but this is all so amazing Jax. I love it all, I can't believe you did this and I didn't even have to lift a finger." She moved towards the dresser, running her fingers along the top before pulling open the top drawer. "You even washed his clothes already!? Babe! Fuck! I love you so much right now babe."

"I love you too." He pulled her back to him, his hands on her belly. "I love you and I love our son. I can't wait until he's here and I can hold him." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and smiled. "I did all of this so you didn't have to stress about it. You have enough on your plate, the pregnancy, weekly appointments, work, the kids, the move. I just needed to do what I could to knock some shit off your to-do list. Don't expect this treatment all the time though, can't lose my reputation."

Bri rolled her eyes and smirked. "Your secret is safe with me. I won't go around bragging about how amazing of a daddy you are and how amazing of a boyfriend you are." She rubbed his sides as she looked up at him. "I love you Jackson and I enjoy seeing this side of you. The family man, it suits you well and I don't think any of your brothers will knock you for helping out your pregnant, hormonal girlfriend."

"Since you're putting it like that, brag all about me darlin'." He sat down in the glider, pulling her down onto his knees as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I love you. I can't wait for little Jax to get here, although we're not even allowed to call him that because everyone else will." He shook his head and chuckled. "We're in the final stretch, he'll be laying in that crib really soon and I'm excited about it."

* * *

 **AN: Hiii! Thank you all for the support and reviews last chapter! I'm so excited and happy that this revamp has been taken so well by you all. I can't thank you all enough, for taking the extra time to leave a review. It really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed this update. Also feel free to ask me ay questions on here or over at fairytellerxo on tumblr. I have so many supplemental materials over there. Like links to what all my OCs look like, even the Suits. :)  
**


	32. Fight & Cakes

**A nice long chapter full of fluff and shenanigans. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **May 6, 2013**

"Your Aunt Bri and Uncle Roman are absolutely terrible." Elijah shook his head, adjusting his daughter on his lap as he watched Bri and Roman engage in another round of dominoes. This round even more intense than the last ten. "You two are going to break the table if you keep up that slamming nonsense."

Roman looked at his older brother and shrugged. "It's how you play dominoes Elijah. If it were less intense than it wouldn't be as fun."

"He's right." Bri nodded, flashing a brief smirk over at Elijah and Aurelia. "Baby Lumi, look at that smile! Look at those cute little teeth popping up. You're just too pretty. I love you so much." She reached over and rubbed the girl's cheeks. "I can't get over you babe."

"Her name is Aurelia." Elijah sighed. "Why did I even bother telling you her middle name?"

The brunette shrugged. "Lumi means snow, so of course I was gonna call her that. Plus, it's supposed to be this way. You're gonna call her Aurelia, the rest of us are going to call her Lumi. We'll only hit her with the first name if we're upset with her." She smirked. "Just like you guys hit me with Katarzyna when I'm in trouble."

He rolled his eyes as he felt his daughter grind down on his finger with her teeth. "Jesus Aurelia, you're going to break skin one of these days." He trailed his free hand through her thick brown hair and sighed. "She prefers my thumb over the actual teether. She does like the teether that you gave her though. When it's straight from the freezer."

"Aww my baby girl." Bri stood up from her seat and moved to Elijah, taking Lumi from his arms. "Well, lucky her, I have some of the teethers in the freezer. Let's go get you one baby girl. It's gonna make your mouth feel so much better. I promise."

"Don't spoil her too much." Elijah shook his head, watching the pair waltz off towards the kitchen before he sat down across from Roman. "I'll play you a round. I haven't gotten to play this in a long time. Aurelia doesn't leave me much time for recreational activities."

Roman looked at his brother and shook his head. "You can cut the honorable act Elijah. No one is going to judge you if you start cursing." He smirked as he started to set up for a new match. "I'll go easy on you."

He rolled his eyes and smirked back at his brother. "Bring your best Rome, I've taught you not to go easy on anyone." He nodded. "Give me your best."

"I will." Roman nodded as he looked at his dominoes before looking up at Elijah. "I have a question for you though. I was wondering how much you knew about Bri's little blonde best friend Jacey?"

Elijah tensed up slightly before relaxing. "How do you really know Jacey? Just from her coming over this way?"

Roman shook his head. "No, no. I had given her my number at Javier's last birthday. I thought we hit it off, thought we were vibing but she never called me and I haven't really talked to her because it's like when I'm around and she's around, she kinda doesn't acknowledge me. She'll glance at me but won't say a word…"

"It's best if you keep your distance from Jacey." Elijah clenched his jaw before relaxing. "She's got a boyfriend and kids."

"What?" Roman smirked at his brother, noticing the way he kept tensing up. "You had a fling with her? You got to date her but didn't keep her?"

"I didn't have a _fling_." He spoke through gritted teeth. "You know nothing about Jacey. All you're trying to figure out is why she didn't call you and give you an ego boost."

"Whoa!" Roman held up his hands as he watched his brother's fists come down on the table, sending the dominoes scattering every which way. "You loved her huh? She didn't love you back though, she just up and left you huh?"

Elijah stood up and rounded the table, wrapping a hand around Roman's neck. "You're going to watch what you fucking say. Alright Roman?"

"Ok _brother_." Roman smirked. "So, how'd you lose her huh? You think she was lusting after me to fulfill some fantasy. Hoping it'd be the same to be with me as it was with you? I must say you have amazing taste in women, well I mean, you had amazing taste in women because Jacey is gorgeous. I may talk to her next time, see why she didn't ever call me. I could've been the distraction she needed."

"I suggest you keep away from Jacey." Elijah tightened the grip on his brother's neck, his eyes wild with anger as he stared down at the man. "You leave Jacey and her family alone."

"I get it now, this is why you didn't assign me to look after her and her kids. You wanna keep her in your sights at all times." Roman scoffed. "You're still so fucking whipped! She doesn't want you Elijah! She's stuck with that Happy character and two kids, move the fuck on."

The man reeled back and sent his face into his brother's face. "Keep Jacey's name out of your mouth. You know _nothing_ about her Roman. Keep your distance as well. Do I make myself clear?"

Roman held his nose and nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed at his brother. "Whatever Elijah…"

"Whoa!" Bri walked in on the tense moment and shook her head. "I can't even leave the two of you alone anymore?"

"Give me Aurelia." Elijah moved towards the brunette and lifted his daughter out of her arms. "I really appreciate you introducing Roman and Jacey."

"Jesus." Bri shook her head as she walked Elijah storm out of the room before she turned her icy gaze on Roman. "Well shit. I'm sorry Rome. I guess I should've warned you Jacey and Elijah used to be in love…"

"Ya think?" Roman shook his head. "I think he fucking broke my nose Brianna."

"Quit whining." She rolled her eyes. "I'll fix it… Meet me in the kitchen with a big bowl of ice and water. It'll keep the swelling to a minimal after I reset it. I'll be in there in a minute. I just need to send Elijah a text."

 **.**

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"Why is the baby kicking?" Javier pressed on his mom's stomach before looking up at her. "Is he trying to escape?"

"He is trying to escape." Bri laughed. "He's ready to come out and make his grand appearance." She smiled. "Talk to him and see if he'll kick and punch your hands baby."

"Um, hi baby. I want to see you now." He nodded as he pressed on Bri's stomach again, laughing as his baby brother kicked back. "He kicked me again! He wants to come out already and hang out with me."

She nodded. "You're excited for him now?"

"Yeah. I'm almost four mom." He held up four tiny fingers and smiled. "I can be a big brother and I'll still be Javi Baby."

"Javi Baby!" Monica smiled as she crawled into bed with her mom and brother. "I got voted best hair today at school."

"That's so good Monica." Bri smiled before kissing her daughter's forehead. "It's ten, you both need to cuddle up and fall asleep. You have school in the morning." She yawned. "Plus, me and the booger have to get some sleep. We have an appointment to check on him after we drop you two at school. Now, cuddle up, keep some room for Jax though, he'll be home soon."

"I'm home now." Jax smirked as he shrugged out of his flannel before dropping it into the hamper before kicking off his nikes and moving towards the bed and lowering himself onto it gently as he draped a heavy arm over Bri, Javi and Monica. "If I had known we'd be having a family cuddle session, I would've been here even earlier." He kissed Bri's neck and smiled. "You know this is my favorite thing to do."

"I know it is." She nodded. "Family cuddling sessions are so in right now… Also, J-U-I-C-E is taking the little one on his birthday. I'm gonna be so sad. Ugh."

"He's staring right at you." He shook his head. "Javier, close your eyes and go to sleep. You need sleep so you can have energy in the morning for school. Goodnight. Goodnight Monica."

"We're sleeping." Monica smirked as she inserted herself between Jax and her mom. "Goodnight Jax."

"Night baby girl." Jax pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled. "I'll see you all in the morning."

 **May 15, 2013**

"So, we're going to do what now?" Brianna looked at Elijah as he stood in front of her large desk in doctor blues and a lab coat. "You have who in my O.R? Are you insane? Is that what you're trying to tell me. You're not even a doctor."

Elijah shrugged as he looked down at the brunette. "You don't have to be a doctor to wield a scalpel. Brianna, if I had any other option I would go elsewhere. I need this to happen. I have to save that suit and the more we talk about this, the less time we have to save him. You won't regret this, just help me with him."

She huffed as she stood up from her chair, slowly rubbing her belly. "You do remember that I'm pregnant? Correct? I have a son on the way and you're dragging me into _another_ Russian shenanigan. You're supposed to be taking a vacation from being a suit, not getting involved deeper in whatever nonsense this is." She walked around the desk as she pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. "After you, since you know where everything is apparently."

He chuckled at the brunette's grumbling and shook his head as he watched her waddle slightly towards him. "It'll be fun, when's the last time we got to be best friends and save someone's life together Brianna? This is bestie bonding time." He cringed at his use of the word bestie before shrugging it off as they walked into the O.R. "This is Yevgeny, he's a new trainee. He stupidly underestimated the meanness of Frey and ended up being on the receiving end of Frey's knife, as you can see."

"Oh, Yevgeny, you're a little baby suit." Bri looked down at him and shook her head before moving to the sink to wash up. "I'll have you all patched up in no time." She sighed as she dried off her hands before pulling on a pair of grey latex gloves. "At least Frey was nice enough to leave the knife in this time. Otherwise you would be buying buried right now instead of being put under local anesthetic. Count down from twenty and you'll be in recovery in no time my dear."

Yevgeny nodded as he stared up at the brunette before reaching out for her hand, his nerves and fears being instantly calmed down by the brunette's motherly tone. "Thanks doc. I'll see you on the other-."

"Out like a light." Elijah smirked. "So, doc, I think you made him feel like he was around his own mother."

Bri scoffed as she reached over and flicked Elijah's ear. "He's a fucking baby Elijah. He doesn't need to be _anywhere_ near Frey and his temper, you know that man has no patience for training a baby suit. Pair Yevgeny up with Anthony or Roman if he decides to even stick with it. Now, help me fix him up and watch what you say before you end up being the suit on the table with a twelve inch blade sticking out of his stomach."

He shook his head as he eyed the brunette carefully. "Well, I hate to say this but I'm genuinely loving this newfound attitude you have Brianna. It suits you, very well."

"Don't be a fucking kiss ass Mr. Nasonov." She smirked at the man. "Let's save his life and I'll reward you with milk and cookies after we get him stable and out of the woods. For the record, an abortion clinic is not the best place for a procedure like this." She examined the x-rays Elijah had taken before looking down at the young man. "You, Mr. Rastorguyev are very lucky that this blade hasn't hit anything too important. You'll be eating again in no time."

/

Elijah dropped into a waiting room chair and rubbed his hands up and down his face as he watched Brianna begin to clean the small room. "You're nesting is out of control, you don't even live here but it's got your staple all over it."

Bri shrugged as she looked back at Elijah. "There's nothing wrong with wanting _my_ clinic to be presentable, to be clean, sterile, welcoming, calming, everything that I would want to walk into if I were a young mother who was making a life choice. It's my name on that sign these days Elijah, I have a reputation to uphold."

He nodded slowly. "I know you do. I don't think I've said it enough but I am proud of you and all that you've managed to accomplish these short three years." He offered up a small smile and turned his attention at the sound of the door creaking open.

"Hey Jacey." Bri smiled at the blonde. "What brings you to my humble clinic? Also, meet my new doctor, Dr. Elijah Grigorevich Nasonov."

"Ah yes, Miss Teller hello." Elijah smiled at the blonde. "I managed to strongarm Brianna into hiring me part time." He nodded. "I have to say, the scrubs and coat look almost as good as my suits."

Jacey eyed the man carefully before she simply smiled at him. "It's a good look for you, Elijah, very nice." She nodded before moving to Bri, her hands going to her belly. "Go sit down, Brianna, you're not supposed to be doing too much. Don't make me kick either of your asses because you wanna play operation."

"I can't help it, I'm nesting. We also had to save another baby suit because Frey decided to use him as a knife holder." Bri shook her head. "Kick Elijah's ass, he's the one who made me play operation Jacey."

The blonde looked back at Elijah and shook her head. "Uh no, do you see him? He'd squish me… Sorry, 'Lijah, I'm not giving you that much fun."

"I'd squish you and Bri could save you." Elijah smiled. "How have you been Jacey? Long time no see."

The blonde scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Eh, not today. Call me tomorrow and I'll check the agenda." She smiled, shrugging. "I'm great, finally getting both kids to sleep through the night. Greatest luxury." She nodded. "What about you? Feels like forever since I last saw you."

"I've been good. Doing the whole dad thing with Aurelia. Love that little girl to death. I've managed to get her to let me sleep four hours a night." He chuckled. "She's a spoiled little thing, now with all her teeth starting to pop up, she's crawling like crazy though. Follows me everywhere I go in the house."

Jacey smiled, nodding her head. "That's good, I haven't seen much of her but Bri has enough pictures everywhere, she's precious. Hope you're ready for crowd of boys knocking on your door for her." She shrugged. "I see you haven't hung up the suit completely though, huh?"

"Feel free to babysit her." He nodded. "She and Kol can have a play date. Just a _play_ date, I don't need him getting any ideas… I haven't hung it up completely because some of these young men would be dead in a day if I didn't check in on them."

Jacey shook her head. "Oh no, definitely not. He's discovered his love for girls and his dimples so he likes to flirt with every girl he meets." She shrugged. "So you don't have to worry about that, no play dates. It's weird not running to you when there's a problem, since I did it for so long."

"Oh lord." Elijah shook his head and chuckled. "Definitely keeping my princess away from your son now." He nodded. "You know you can still call or text when you have a problem you need me to handle. Still have the same number, it hasn't changed in years."

Jacey shook her head, smiling. "I knew a boy would be a mess but this is ridiculous." She laughed a little before she shrugged again. "Nope, no, gotta get used to whoever I've got now."

"Who do you have?" He cocked an eyebrow at the blonde. "Igor finally step up and offer full protection detail?"

She shrugged. "Honestly I don't know. He's still solely alive for Camryn." She smiled. "I guess no one, does Kozik count? I mean he completely misses when a Russian or three pop up when Bri returns to the states but ya know…" She grinned at the man.

"I'm gonna just butt in because I think his rhetorical question went over your head J." Bri smirked at her sister. " _He's_ still your suit… It's why you didn't get a new one."

Jacey looked back at Bri with a cocked eyebrow. "What? Why?" She looked back at Elijah. "You stepped down, I thought?"

"I stepped down from being the suit that travels back and forth. I stepped back from being her family's suit because she kept trying to steal my daughter." Elijah shrugged. "I kept being your suit because it was easier that way."

She nodded her head. "How's it easier that way?"

"Don't have to train a new suit, he doesn't get iced out by your family for being an outsider." Elijah shrugged. "It's just easier."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Iced out? What's that supposed to mean? My family doesn't ice out anyone, Elijah."

"He'll get iced out because he's an outsider." Elijah shrugged. "I'm sure you iced out a few people in your life. Not everyone can be welcomed into your family Jacey."

The blonde shook her head. "I'm sure you think you're right, Elijah." She eyed him carefully before she looked back at Bri. "I wanted to come see you about the cake tasting thing, are you going with me?"

"Yeah, I'm tasting some cake." Bri nodded as she pulled off her rubber gloves. "I think I got this place as clean as can be."

Jacey nodded her head. "Great, I'll wait here so you can get your things, love."

"I will take that as a hint that I'm not invited to the cake tasting." Elijah shook his head as he stared at the blonde. "Did I do something wrong?"

The blonde shook her head, looking at Elijah. "No, no you didn't." She shrugged her shoulders. "Figured you wouldn't want to come, you apparently have some yearly quota to fill of me."

"I don't have a quota. I've been being a dad, having fun with my daughter." Elijah smiled. "She's my priority. I never stopped looking out for you and your family though. That's my promise to keep. I didn't let you see me because I didn't want to be seen. It's like when we first met, you weren't even aware that I looked out for you until I told you."

She nodded her head. "I've honestly thought about visiting you but I figured that wouldn't look good, Elijah. So I've kept my own distance and I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We didn't exactly end our last conversation on a friendly note. It was just all up in the air. I'm sorry that I just disappeared from your life, it wasn't my intention, I promise you that much." He shook his head. "I just thought it was best for me to stay in the shadows until I was in a place where I could offer you some type of friendship." He smiled at her. "I would like us to be friends, to be able to hang out like Bri and I do. Maybe not the surgery part but you know what I mean Jacey."

The blonde nodded her head again as she looked up at him. "Where's your head and heart at, Elijah? Because we'll never be able to be friends if we're both not in the same place as far as anything goes."

"My head is in a place that I know I can be friends with you as for my heart, that's all with my daughter. I'm not trying to do anything with you. I just want us to be friends, to be able to talk, hang out, maybe even let the kids play together, see how it goes. I'm not too sure what Kol will make of hanging out with such a little baby but still, it could be fun." He nodded.

Jacey nodded her head. "Are you not trying to do anything because you don't desire that or because it's not right?" She inquired as she smiled and nodded again. "Kol is going to love having someone to play with, he's just a little grinning flirt."

"It's not what I desire." He nodded. "Kol better watch himself, my girl is guilty of babbling and smiling like a fool when she's being held by a man. I already know I'm in for hell when she's older."

The blonde nodded her head. "Then I think we'll be ok. As long as you don't sneak my fat child any cake or cookies. He's a sucker for it." She smiled. "Oh yeah, she's gonna have 'em lined up at the door."

"I can't make any promises that I won't sneak him any snacks." He chuckled. "I'm going to send them all away too. No boys, no dating until she's at least sixteen, if even that. Get back to me when she's about three and develops a crush at preschool."

Jacey started laughing, shaking her head. "You're just driving her right into the arms of every bad boy in the city." She patted his cheek. "You, my dear, are going to be so fucked."

"It's unpreventable. I'm going to go grey early being a single father to her." Elijah shook his head. "I love her though so I won't be too strict on her. I don't want her fucking up her life because I don't want to see her grow up."

The blonde smiled, nodding her head. "You're such a good man though, you make me proud, 'Lijah." She nodded again. "What happened though? Why are you a single father?"

"You didn't hear? Kaia took off a few days after Aurelia was born. Took a few days for me to find her and when I did she was high off her ass, talking about how it was a mistake and she wasn't ready and she did it to _trap_ me. She signed away her rights last month. She got pregnant to keep me but ended up running off because she couldn't handle it. She acted like my daughter was some puppy that she could just ditch." He shook his head. "It's just me and her."

Jacey shook her head. "I heard she was out of the picture but I wasn't sure what had happened." She looked down at her heels before looking back up at the man before her. "I'm very sorry, Elijah."

"It's alright. I'm prepared enough to care for my daughter. Had a lot of practice over the years." He chuckled. "I even learned how to make tulle tutus for her. She loves those things so much, I think it's because they're easy to rip and tear apart with her little teeth."

The blonde smiled, nodded. "You're making a amazing father. I won all the bets I made, too. Always said you'd be the greatest father a kid could ask for." She laughed a little.

"Let's hope she's my one and only child." Elijah chuckled. "No more prom queens for me."

Jacey started laughing, covering her mouth. "Ok, I'm sorry for that one. I was jealous of that bitch."

"I don't see why. She was only supposed to be a fun time, it was never supposed to get serious and it wasn't supposed to end up with me being a dad but I'm happy that I have my daughter." Elijah smiled as he touched the dog tags hanging around his neck. "That girl is my everything."

The blonde shook her head. "She's the mother of your daughter… She got something I always wanted." She shrugged, smiling. "I had a good reason… she's a good addition to the family. Just hand her over first, I need baby cuddles. Mine's all about his stupid ass dad."

"May be a mother but she's far from a mom." He nodded. "You know what, stop by my house later and you can take her if you want to. Or we can set something up that works for you. She's a snuggly little thing."

Jacey shrugged. "She's still the mother of your daughter." She nodded her head, smiling. "Are you going cake tasting with me and Houdini?"

"Yeah. I'll go with you guys. She's probably babying Yevgeny back there." Elijah shook his head. "She's got a soft spot for this new baby suit and I have no clue why."

The blonde nodded her head. "Oh by the way, because I'm desiring a brown eyed child, I have to ask your permission for your sperm." She smirked, shrugging her shoulders. "Bri said I had to ask first, so hand it over. It's because she has no more baby suits to bother and baby."

"I can get your sperm now, freeze it really fast." Bri smirked. "Leave Yevgeny alone, he's going to be taken to the Fortress and Roman is going to baby him. No arguing either Elijah, I'm not letting you endanger him anymore! He's _eighteen_! He's fresh out of high school, no family out here. He needs to feel like a part of the family now more than ever. Jacey, let's go. Me and my son want some cake."

Jacey shook her head. "You sure know how to cockblock. Slut." She nodded her head. "He's joining us then I'm going to get Baby E and taking her home with me."

"Wait until you get your hands on all her hair." Bri smiled. "Then come on, let's go. I already called Roman and told him to get Yev. I'm ready for the cake."

The blonde shrugged. "I need baby cuddles. My babies don't like me anymore." She groaned, leaning on the brunette. "I need love and affection and cuddles."

"You are going to die over her. She'll rest her head on your shoulder and play with your hair while she's drooling all down your back because she's chewing on her fist or her teether." Bri nodded. "I want my kid here already. Scare him out of me please."

Jacey started to pout, looking back at Elijah. "And you kept her from me? I will kill you right now, you jerk. I need the cuddles so much right now. Give her to me. You can have Camryn, she's more into the men in her life."

"You can always pick her up before we do the tasting, she loves icing, I always give her a little taste if I eat a cupcake." Elijah smiled. "Oh Miss Camryn? She doesn't like me all that much just yet."

Jacey scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Probably because you tease her with that Miss Camryn shit then leave her… That or because you've never cuddled with her. Ya gotta cuddle to get her love."

"I was absent for most of her life." He sighed. "I'll have to win her over soon. I won't call her Miss Camryn, she's as touchy about it as you are with Miss Teller."

Jacey shook her head. "Oh, she probably giggles over it. She's like me though, grins like a damn fool if she sees you. Gets shy over it too." She laughed. "Ask Bri…"

"I'm not even here, you two keep talking." Bri nodded as she shoved chips into her mouth. "So, did Jax tell you what we named the kid Jacey?"

The blonde smirked, her blue eyes still on Elijah. "If it's Jackson or Nathaniel, I'm buying your asses a baby book. You unoriginal weirdos."

"His name is _Creed_. Well Jackson Creed but we'll be calling him Creed." Bri smirked and shrugged. "My little baby Creed."

Jacey tore her eyes from Elijah and looked at her sister. "Creed? You mean the band Creed? What?"

"No not after the band. After Apollo Creed because all the little bastard does is box in my womb." Bri smiled. "I've never even heard of a band named Creed until right now."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not calling him Creed…"

"Then call him Jax the Second." Bri smirked. "Or Baby Jax."

Jacey shook her head. "Or I could call him Jackie like I call his ugly ass dad. If I'm talking to him, that is."

"Well I was going to name him Elijah but that was already taken." Bri chuckled. "Jax wasn't too fond of me calling our son a name that is too Russian either."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Jax is a dumbass… I'm still not a fan that you're breeding with him. You could do so much better than that ugly rat." She shrugged. "Elijah's a cute name though! I'd name my next kid that if Happy wasn't the father." She shrugged.

"Monica is naming her first child Happy, just so you guys know now before you freak out in like fifteen years when she has a kid and names it Happy." Bri chuckled. "But shhh, you didn't hear that from me."

Jacey shook her head. "Oh god… Why? So I can rename him Grumpy too?" She shrugged. "Fine by me."

"I have no clue." Bri shrugged as they got into Jacey's Range Rover. "You two need to speed or something. I'm craving cake and I have to pee."

The blonde shook her head, passing her keys to Elijah. "Have a party, you get to drive my love." She got in the passenger seat and sighed. "Remind me to tell you stories later, baby mama."

"I'll remind you." The brunette nodded. "This is exciting. The three amigos."

The blonde looked at Elijah as he got in the driver's seat. "Are we going to discuss the artificial insemination or do I need to wait?" She smirked, poking at his face.

"I do not agree to that." Elijah shook his head. "Not at all."

Jacey shrugged. "I mean if you prefer the real deal, I'll have to get back to you with that." She laughed, shaking her head. "I don't know what kind of cake I want at all. No ideas, whatsoever. Who's even letting me plan this shit?"

"Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting." Bri mumbled as she leaned forward. "That's what I'd pick."

Jacey nodded her head. "Happy would love that so much but it's a little unclassy for a wedding, babe."

"Um I was talking about for right now." Bri shrugged. "Pick it and let me take it home and eat it all. You can have some frou frou ass cake for your wedding. Like vanilla bean with a fruit compote and ganache. Then toss some edible flowers on it and call it a fucking day."

The blonde looked back at the brunette and rolled her eyes. "I'll get you a cake but can you be a little open minded here? I need your opinions and help, Bri, that's why you're here right now."

"I'm being open minded. I've watched a lot of Food Network Jacey." Bri nodded. "But I'm gonna give you my opinion and help the best I can. I've never really done any of this before so, I'm kinda just following your lead."

Jacey groaned. "We're both confused bitches then, first real wedding babe. We're going in confused as hell."

"I had a big wedding but like I had a wedding planner and didn't really do much but pick out a wedding dress." Bri shook her head. "I'm happy it's you doing this shit and not me."

The blonde shrugged. "Your time will come, babe, don't worry. Jax just wants to biggest rock in world first."

"Oh, I am not worried at all. Jax can take his time but I'm not doing the whole wedding planning shit." Bri shook her head. "Straight to Vegas and back."

Jacey shook her head. "Do it before I get knocked up again though. You always go to Vegas when I'm pregnant and it pisses me off so hard."

"You're gonna be knocked up. You're so gonna get knocked up on your wedding night." Bri shrugged. "That's what's going to happen."

Jacey groaned. "Shush, I am not. Who says I'll even get laid on my wedding night? Shush."

"I am not here for this conversation." Elijah shook his head. "I am very far away."

The blonde looked at Elijah before she shook her head. "Sorry, 'Lijah… You're too quiet, I forgot you were even here." She covered her eyes and turned her head toward the window.

"I don't really see Jax as the proposing type, wasn't he already married and divorced?" Elijah shook his head. "I mean, if he proposes it's probably because it's what he thinks Bri would want."

Jacey shook her head. "He didn't even propose to her. That was a drunken trip to Vegas." She shrugged her shoulders. "They stayed together for the sex."

"Now, I'm not the one who's listening to this conversation." Bri shook her head. "Nope. Not here for this shit."

The blonde shook her head again. "Why? It's the truth… So maybe Vegas isn't a plan anymore."

"Maybe marriage shouldn't be a thing for either of us. Obviously Jax and I both suck at it." Bri sighed. "But yeah, Vegas is definitely a no go. Maybe the courthouse if it ever does happen."

Jacey shrugged. "I don't know, Bri. It's a conversation for you and Jax to have. You know I just want you completely happy."

"I brought up marriage to him once and he told me to check back with him on it later and I never did." Bri chuckled and shook her head. "We're just a mess… I really need to pee though, so Elijah speed up before I wreck Jacey's carpet back here. Ha, that sounded kinky."

The blonde looked back and wiggled her eyebrows. "Shut up bitch… I need you to not right now."

"We're here." Elijah nodded. "Let's see how inappropriate you two can be during this cake tasting."

Jacey smirked, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm naturally inappropriate when I'm eating cake. I'm an inappropriate person as is…"

"I wish someone would eat my cake." Bri murmured as she got out of the SUV. "You should get a lavender chiffon cake. Like or go all out and get a cake with different flavored layers."

Jacey shrugged. "Wish Roman would eat mine." She mouthed to Bri as she wrapped her arms around the brunette, kissing her cheek. "Let's just see what we find in here."

"Yes, let's see." The brunette smiled. "I bet they have all sorts of samples for us to try. They're gonna think Elijah is the groom, watch."

Jacey looked at Elijah and smirked. "Elijah, are you down to pretend to be the groom?" She grinned up at him.

"Yes, I'm up for it." Elijah nodded as he draped an arm over Jacey's shoulders. "Shall we tell them we're here my dear?"

She rolled her eyes, smirking at him as she wrapped her arm around his waist. "You're such a mess, Elijah, god." She poked at his abs. "Yeah, let's tell them."

"Hello, my soon to be wife, myself and my future sister in law are here for a cake testing." Elijah smiled at the brunette behind the counter. "It's under Teller but she really should have put it under Nasonov, she has to get used to her new last name."

The young brunette behind the counter looked up and started smiling at Elijah, nodding her head. "It's scheduled for four and Stella's still in the middle of an interview so you can look around or sit down. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"We would love a drink." He nodded. "Champagne if you have it, if not water will be fine for us. It'll especially be fine for the pregnant one."

The brunette nodded her head, moving toward the back of the store before coming back with three waters. "There you go, I don't believe you'll wait too long." She smiled again before walking back to her desk.

"Done this before?" Jacey inquired, staring up at the man.

"I have done a cake tasting before. When my sister got married to her husband. I got to play maid of honor for a little bit." Elijah shrugged. "It was fun to say the least."

The blonde smiled, nodding. "I never knew you had a sister. I thought it was all brothers." She shrugged. "That's interesting though… The story."

"I have two sisters." He nodded as they sat down. "They never get brought up because conversation never has a smooth segue for me to bring them up until now."

Jacey shook her head. "We used to be on good terms… When you all came back, me and you were good. You were going to stay in North Carolina with me. We were great, we never have so far off." She sighed.

"At one point I planned to fly you to Russia to meet everyone." Elijah smiled. "It just never fell into place and for that I am sorry. I'm sure we'll be able to get back to being on good terms."

She nodded her head. "I used to really want _this_ for us. I'm sorry we never made it." She shrugged her shoulders. "We will, I won't let us fail at that relationship."

"As did I." He nodded. "It's not your fault. I take fault in it. I agree though, I won't let our friendship fail."

She flashed him a smile and nodded. "I had so many plans." She laughed a little. "Whatever is meant to be will take place and we'll get better."

"Plans never work." Bri interjected as she sat down across from them. "I managed to tinkle and steal a cupcake." She held up the dessert and smirked. "It's vanilla bean with a caramel buttercream frosting."

Jacey started nodding her head. "Very, very true. Fatass."

"I mean, look at Jax and I. Nothing was planned and it's been working out like perfection." She smiled. "I gotta order some of these cupcakes for Monica's birthday in August. She's die over them."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "You are so fat, oh my god." She shook her head. "True fatass doesn't even offer anyone else a taste either."

"Here, have some." Bri held the cupcake to Jacey's mouth. "It's got a surprise filling too."

Jacey took a bite of the cupcake before she grabbed it out of Bri's hand. "My God." She murmured as she took another bite. "This is what dreams are made of."

"Did you just steal food from your nephew's mouth?" Bri laughed. "I know, I know it's fucking heaven right? You can finish off the rest. I'm so not leaving here without at least a dozen of those bad boys."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I'm feedin all your unborn nieces and nephews you keep asking for. Shut up." She nodded eagerly. "Can this be my wedding cake? Like fuck."

"It can." Bri nodded. "I'll be eating most of it come the big day."

The blonde nodded her head. "I'm so getting like four five tier cakes. You fat ass." She laughed, as she looked at Elijah. "Try that. It's heaven, I swear."

Elijah nodded as he took a bite of the cupcake before passing it back. "That is amazing. I may have to buy one for me and Aurelia to share."

Jacey shook her head. "One isn't enough, 'Lijah."

"One dozen." He smirked. "We'll just buy out their stock."

Jacey grinned, nodding her head eagerly. "That is a beautiful idea. That's the first thing we're doing! The very first."

"We're ready to bring you guys back for the tasting." The blonde smiled at the trio. "Just follow me back."

Jacey stood up, holding her hand out to Elijah. "Come on, honey." She smirked at him.

Elijah nodded as he grabbed her hand and stood up. "Yes, let's go. I'm eager to pick the perfect cake for our big day."

"You know you're the best for doing this right?" She smiled a little, nodding. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "Of course, I'll be footing the bill today. It's the least I can do."

Jacey smiled, shaking her head. "Oh no. It's all on me, I should've known better than to bring my pregnant, cake-loving sister with me." She shrugged.

"I insist." He nodded. "I won't let them take your money."

The blonde shook her head. "Fine… If you come to the wedding. It can be your wedding gift to me and the other half."

"I'll go to the wedding. It'll give me the chance to wear a new suit and dress my daughter up." He smiled. "It'll be fun."

Jacey smiled and nodded her head. "I was going to send you an invitation but I thought it'd be rejected."

"I would have accepted." Elijah smiled. "I'm not a heartless man and I will be there. See what kind of vows you're going to give."

The blonde shrugged, looking away from the man. "The normal kind I guess. Haven't thought about it."

"I have." Bri nodded. "I can see your vows in my head."

Jacey shook her head. "And what are they?"

"Happy, you're not just my lover but my best friend, you have given me two gorgeous kids, happiness and an outlook on life that I thought I had lost…" Bri shrugged. "You get the jist."

The blonde furrowed her brow. "Yeah… No." She shook her head.

"To think I thought I was onto something." Bri laughed and shrugged again. "I tried."

Jacey shrugged. "Yeah, trying to make me a sentimental person."

"I think I will just stop." The brunette smirked. "Look at all the cake though… That lemon chiffon cake is looking appetizing."

Jacey shrugged. "It was cute but no. You should test it. Put it on the list."

"I will." She nodded. "What one do you like?"

The blonde shook her head. "Literally all of them are gorgeous and I want them all."

"Get a trio of cakes." Bri smiled. "Since Elijah is footing the bill."

Jacey looked at the man and smirked. "There's too many cakes to decide on, let's get one of each!"

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Like I said, get what you want. It's my gift to you and yours."

"You better treat me like this if I get married Elijah." Bri wrapped her arms around the man's shoulders. "You're the best." She rested her head against his and yawned. "All this cake has me tired out. I just need to head home and nap. I'm leaving you two in here after a few cakes. I'll be in the backseat of the Rover sleeping." She nodded slowly as she closed her eyes. "I swear."


	33. Alex & Juice

**May 23, 2013**

"You should be sleep." Bri looked down at Javi and smiled. "I thought you wanted to take a nap babe?"

Javier shrugged as he closed his eyes tightly. "I am sleeping mom. I'm not awake. It's all in your imagination." He flashed her a smile and nodded. "I'm sleeping!"

The brunette chuckled as she turned her attention back to her laptop. She had been reading over the files that Frey had sent her on her old friend Alexander Pierson. It had contained everything she already knew but didn't tell her exactly what she wanted to know. Address, wife, kids. Things that actually mattered to the brunette. She wanted to know that he was doing as well as she was in life. "Where's your geek of a dad at when I need his help? Huh Javi?"

"At his house! It's so cool mom." Javi sat up before quickly laying back down. "I'm sleep, you didn't see that."

She shook her head. "Remind me to call him later for some computer help. Now you need to go back to sleep. I know it's loud because of the movers but you can manage." She rubbed her belly and sighed as she heard the doorbell sound. "You expecting anyone?" She patted her son's stomach and stood up. "I guess you aren't so I gotta answer it myself."

Bri ambled towards the front door, her hands rubbing her lower back as she looked at the security monitor to see Jacey smiling up at the camera. "You're so obviously looking at yourself in the camera's reflection." She spoke through the intercom before pulling open the large, heavy wooden door. "You come here to help the movers? Or did you come here to help me dig up some dirt on Alex?"

"Do you see me? I'm gorgeous, I'm always checking myself out. Someone has to… Can't let these looks go to waste." Jacey shrugged, handing Kol off to Bri. "He's here for Frey, that's all he's been blubbering about in between fists."

"Here I was thinking he came over to see me." The brunette kissed the baby's forehead and smiled. "I'll find your uncle Frey. He's probably in the kitchen stuffing his face. He's always stuffing his face. I see why you two get along so well."

"Furfurfurfur!" Kol flashed his aunt a cheeky grin, showing off his scattered teeth. "Furfur!"

"Now you're speaking my language. Hey let's find the furfurfur of yours." She nodded as she walked into the kitchen and pointed at Frey. "That the fur you're looking for Kol?"

Kol gasped, leaning his head against Bri's. "FURFURFUR!" He started grinning, showing off his dimples.

"Kol!" Frey smiled at the little boy. "You old enough for a sandwich yet? Or do I have to wait until all your teeth sprout?"

Jacey shook her head. "Tiny bites… Don't let him get his hands on it either, he gums and gnaws like crazy. He loves bread." She smiled, moving toward Frey. "When are we gonna have one of our own?" She smirked at him.

"How about right now?" He grabbed Jacey's hips and pulled her against him. "We'd make one gorgeous little viking baby."

She laughed, wrapping an arm around his neck. "Well shit, right here?" She grinned, looking at Bri. "Entertain him for a second, I'm giving you another baby to love on."

"Can I be gross right now?" Bri shook her head. "I was fucked on that stool this morning… If you must make another baby, pick another room." She smirked. "Come on Kol, we have to go dig up some dirt on an old boyfriend of mine."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Bent over it or what?" She smirked. "Come on, Frey, let's find a room my ugly ass brother hasn't been in."

"Look, if Frey leaves Kol is gonna bawl." Bri pointed to the baby's poked out lip. "He's got the puppy dog look down…"

The blonde scoffed. "Cockblocker." She laughed a little, kissing Frey's cheek. "Another day, have fun with the fatty."

"Come on fatty. I'll let you have some of this sandwich." Frey took Kol and smiled. "I'll sneak you some dessert too. You two have fun playing detective."

Jacey waved off the man and started following after Bri. "What do you have so far?" She poked at Bri's ass. "What the hell is this? Your ass is huge."

"It's where the fat has taken up residence since my hips and tits evicted it." Bri shook her head. "What Frey found but it's not anything that really helps. He's a businessman, he's a bad boy but nothing important. Like kids, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, that type of shit. I can't even get the right address for him. I wanna show up and be 'Hey Alex' or shit maybe he's looking into us. We never know. I hope you don't have any dirty secrets Jacey. I have too many to even try to hide them."

The blonde shook her head. "You know all the petty secrets… I haven't opened up Pandora's box, so yeah, I got a little secret or two that need to stay hidden off. Is Alex a threat or is this a friendly reunion? I know a few things about tracking someone down…"

"No! He's not a threat." Bri laughed. "He's been at the back of my mind since Colorado, so I wanna reunite and catch up. See what he's all about these days."

Jacey nodded. "Ok, ok, ok, shush." She pulled her tablet out of Kol's diaper bag before she dropped it on the floor. "Here. Click on the very last app on the last page and keep that secret to yourself."

"Secret is safe with me." Bri nodded. "You little sleuth…"

The blonde shrugged. "I'm hiring some people for the studio. Gotta check 'em out without leaning on my future baby daddy or hunting down my ex."

"Look at you, you and your studio. You go girl." The brunette smiled. "I'm so proud of you. I don't think I say that enough."

Jacey shrugged, smiling at the brunette. "It's ok, Case is such a cute little interior designer. I love it." She nodded her head. "What are you finding?"

"That he's a billionaire playboy." Bri shrugged. "Oh, bingo. Got his address!"

The blonde grinned, leaning over to look at the tablet. "Here, type in Cam's birthday right there and we can get more on him. Numbers, ways into his devices." She shrugged. "Don't look at me like that."

"Ok, creep." Bri shook her head. "I have his address that's all I want. Come on, let's go. We're going to see my baby Alex."

Jacey rolled her eyes, standing up. "I have to know things. Them folks will be around my kids. You're joking, right?" She nodded her head. "I'm going to cry if he's not home, I miss our best friend."

"If he's not home we'll just break in or something." The brunette stood up. "Well we'll leave a note if he's not home. My pregnant ass is not squeezing through a window. I'll end up peeing my pants."

Jacey started laughing. "I can picture that so much right now. Oh god. We need to start planning all pregnancies from here on out." She shook her head. "I'm kind of excited! Should we call Elijah and tell him we're going to see his bestie?"

"Starting with your next one." Bri nodded. "No, we're not telling Elijah about this. He'd try to come with us and I don't feel like hearing him gripe about showing up to someone's house and hopping the fence."

The blonde shook her head. "November something… I'm getting knocked up, are you prepared?" She smirked, sighing. "Why am I planning a wedding and opening a studio at the same time, Bri? Why? Stop giving me all this permission to do shit, damn it."

"Planning a wedding, pregnancy and a business opening. Look at you bitch, you're going places." Bri nodded. "Welcome to Adulting 101."

Jacey shook her head. "Kol or no Kol? I am trying, not doing so hot. I just miss a warm full bed to be honest." She shrugged. "That's all."

"Why is your bed cold and empty?" Bri shrugged. "Leave him with Frey. I think they'll end up napping anyway."

The blonde shrugged. "Dunno… call Hap and ask him why he's not coming home and we both could have answers." She dropped the diaper bag and moved toward the foyer. "Come on, come on… Before I get a call from Case and have to go fix his messes."

"I'll call him." Bri pulled her phone from her pocket. "Right now. I will call him right now. Oh, by the way did he tell you what happened when I came over the other day? He thought I was you trying to wake him up. He wants another boy by the way."

Jacey shrugged again. "He'd have to sleep with me for another boy. That's how babies work right? Sex?" She shook her head. "Yeah he told me… Apparently he thinks I have huge ass tits and I'm pregnant." She smiled.

"No… You can just suck him off, hold the nut in your mouth then when he's not looking just self inseminate yourself." Bri laughed. "That was absolutely terrible of me to say… But it could work."

Jacey slowly shook her head. "My god… I think I'm done conversing with you." She got in the driver's seat of her Range Rover and covered her face. "The level of ridiculous you have reached… I'm over it already."

"I know but like sperm can live like a day outside…" Bri shrugged as she looked up from her phone. "Happy just told me to mind my own business… I just asked what he was up to. He's such a bad texter."

She shrugged, passing her phone to her sister. "Text him from my phone. Tell him something stupid. I'm pregnant or I ran away or something. See what happens. If he's still acts stupid then just use my phone to ask him what he's up to."

"I don't wanna text the asshole. He hurt my hormonal feelings." Bri sighed. "I just want to eat burgers with Alex, just like old times."

Jacey shrugged again. "He's an asshole, what'd you expect?" She shook her head. "Like your ass needs it." She flashed a smirk at her sister.

"Yeah but we had a decent conversation yesterday." Bri shrugged. "I will get a turkey burger, that'll be healthier."

Jacey made a face. "Just text him and get inside his head. Bri, focus." She shook her head. "Your panties want your ass to have a salad." She smirked again.

"Juicy Jacey secret… Call me later." Bri texted. "There, now he'll be eager to figure out what secret I have about you. It'll bug him all day… I am not wearing panties, I am wearing a thong."

The blonde rolled her eyes as her sister's phone started ringing. "You knew that man wouldn't wait." She laughed before shrugging. "Be sure and include the whole thong thing in conversation. It'd make him jealous." She nodded.

"I know. It's my go to tactic." She answered her phone and put it on speaker. "Hello?"

" _What are you going on about, Brianna?"_

"Damn, can't even say hello?" Bri shook her head. "When's the last time you and Jacey did the deed? I found a positive pregnancy test in my downstairs bathroom… It's not mine, Nik says it's not hers and there's only two others it could be and I'm hoping it's Jacey's but it may just be Natalie's." She looked at Jacey and shrugged.

" _Hello, my favorite little prissy princess. I've missed you so much, I love you as well. It's been a few days, maybe weeks. I don't know… It could be hers, who knows? She's easy to knock up."_

"When are you coming back? You owe me dinner." She shook her head. "That'll explain why she's all horny. She totally got handsy and nearly ripped my thong off me."

" _I don't know yet, tomorrow or Saturday… You talked to Blondie today? She's a rough slut. Just let her have her fun, I guess. I don't know what you want me to do about her."_

"I talked to her for awhile earlier today. She was all excited about the studio. Then Kol traded us both to eat sandwiches and cookies with Frey." Bri poked at Jacey's face. "I know she's rough. She's left handprints on my ass before. Um, come home and staunch the flames."

" _Good. She's been going crazy about it. Where's she at now? Surprised she's not trying to hunt me down if she is pregnant. Nah, I'm not messing with any flames… She'd probably kidnap me for ten days."_

"She's at the house, cuddling with Monica. Said she needed cuddles and a warm bed." Bri sighed again. "I'm thinking that I'm gonna kidnap her for a while and force her to cuddle with me and play with my hair."

" _I will come back home when you're tired of her then… Maybe I'll be over my shit by then, huh?"_

"I thought for sure you were gonna offer to join us." She chuckled softly. "What shit? What's going on with you Hap?"

" _Nope, you two would be hell. Nothing, nothing, Bri. It's just this wedding shit."_

"Nerves? The budget? Just the whole thing or what?" She rubbed her belly and sighed. "Come home and I'll rub your head and you can talk to me about everything."

" _No, no, no. Money's not the problem. It's the whole damn thing. I don't know if it's what I want anymore. Don't say anything to Jacey either, ya hear me? I'll shave your head."_

"I won't just promise me if you keep feeling like this that you'll tell her." Bri nodded. "I have to go. I got a little jerk kicking at my bladder. Be safe Hap. See you when you get home."

" _I'll see ya."_

Jacey shook her head. "Say nothing." She mumbled.

"I really need to tinkle." Bri murmured as she looked at her phone before looking at Jacey. "I'm sorry."

She nodded her head. "Me too."

"We don't have to go… We can go home and lay around in silence." The brunette furrowed her brow. "Like old times."

Jacey shook her head. "Why? Do you not wanna go? I'm excited about seeing Alex." She looked at Bri and smiled, despite the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I wanna see our best friend."

"I do wanna go." Bri reached over and wiped the tears away. "I'm just sorry about the phone call… I just wanna hug and love on you right now Jacey."

The blonde shook her head again, waving off Bri's hands. "I'm fine, babe, I don't need any hugs and love. I have to be fine, ok?"

"You don't have to be fine, well I mean. Well, until he tells you but ok. I'll lay off, no hugs." Bri nodded slowly. "I love you."

Jacey shrugged. "What do I do now? I'm not sure." She rolled her eyes. "And here I was talking about wanting another baby in the future… I'm fucking stupid." She pulled up to the gate of their destination. "Should've never fucking got so deep." She mumbled.

"Holy shit. I should've never left Alex for Dani." Bri shook her head as she undid her seatbelt and leaned over the console to hug Jacey. "Who knows, maybe he said that because he knew you were listening. He's an asshole like that remember? You're not stupid, you're just in love and stuff."

Jacey pulled her tablet out of her purse at her feet and went back to the app to get the code to the gate. "He didn't know, it was all in his voice, Bri. I don't wanna go home tonight. Think I might go to the beach house. Would you wanna watch the kids?" She shrugged.

"You know I'll watch them." Bri nodded. "Take all the time you need, alright?"

Jacey nodded her head. "Just send a suit up there… I don't want to be in that damn _country_ alone."

"I'll send Frey." She smiled as the gate opened. "Everything will work itself out. I promise."

The blonde started to laugh, shaking her head. "I'm not responsible. For anything." She nodded her head slowly. "I'm sure… Maybe this is my fate." She pulled up to the house and scoffed. "I'm marrying Alex. Fuck everything."

"Hey bitch back the fuck off Alex." Bri smirked. "He's the only one we both found attractive that was actually into dating a brunette. So no."

Jacey started laughing again. "Bitch, bye. You're pregnant with my brother's kid. He's officially fair game." She rolled her eyes. "I got my future baby daddy at your house anyway and we're going on a weekend getaway." She smirked.

"Alex is not fair game!" Bri huffed. "I'll fuck you up right now… Well maybe not we know my track record with you hitting me. Come on, let's see if he's home."

Jacey shrugged. "Like I said, my man is at home with his step child." She smirked, nodding. "Come on before I get struck by lightning for saying that."

"The lord will smite your ass one day." She smirked as she got out of the suv. "Let's go tell Alex he's the father of my baby."

The blonde shrugged. "Yeah whatever, bitch. Wonder what he's gonna do to you." She shook her head. "He better be home and excited to see us. What if he's got some hoe here?"

"Then I'm gonna be the pregnant mistress coming to collect my money and make him step up and be a goddamn dad!" Bri shrugged. "It'll be fun."

Jacey nodded, pushing Bri towards the front door. "Come on, then… Let's go fuck with the kid." She smirked, kissing Bri's cheek. "Let's go inside. The alarm code is 092004."

"You're on the level of Elijah, dad and Juice when it comes to sleuthing." Bri opened the door before punching in the alarm code. "This house is way nicer than the Fortress. Holy fuck. I'm buying this from him, like I don't even care. He can just have all my money."

The blonde shrugged. "Where do you think I got it from? Years with bikers and a close relationship with a suit." She smiled, looking around the foyer. "I need this house so much. I'm in love."

"Alex!" Bri shouted. "Alexander Pierson! Yoo! Alex! Alllllexxxx!"

Jacey groaned. "You are supposed to walk in on him, you dumbass. Good god." She shook her head, moving up the stairs. "Come on."

"I kinda don't know how I'd react to seeing him with another woman. I've never had to see an ex with another woman before." The brunette sighed. "Blah."

Jacey rolled her eyes, looking back at Bri. "The same way I do, beat the hoe's ass." She shrugged, pointing to a door. "You wanna shoot through one of them and see what it leads to?"

"I can't beat an ex's girlfriend." Bri shook her head. "This isn't the master." She shook her head "That one over there is… This is his office."

The blonde shrugged. "I can… I'm not pregnant." She smiled, nodding her head. "Then what are we waiting-?" She stopped at the sound of groaning. "Fuck is that?"

"Someone getting it in." Bri shrugged as she twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. "See… He's getting it in."

Jacey grinned. "Damn son, where'd you learn all of that?" She smirked at Bri. "Alexander, pull it out and come here now!"

"Shit, fuck." Alexander grumbled as he turned around and looked at the pair of women. "Bri? Jacey? What the fuck?"

Jacey waved and shrugged. "You got a baby on the way, let's go.. It's time for you to step up, handsome. Be a big boy."

"He has a what? You have a what?" The brunette moved off the bed, a sheet wrapped tightly around her body. "You fucking told me you didn't have a girlfriend or any baby mama drama!" She yelled before stomping out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

The blonde shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk. Jealous girls are the worst, boo. We told you that." She smirked. "At least brunettes are still his thing." She mumbled to Bri.

"Never get tired of a brunette." Alex smirked at the women as he walked back out of his closet. "So, pregnant huh? And I'm supposedly the dad? You dream about me or something?" He smiled as he pulled Bri into a hug before turning to look at Jacey. "I'm surprised you're not pregnant, you two did everything together from what I can remember."

Jacey nodded. "That's right, you're the dad, dumpling." She shrugged. "I'll call you when I get knocked up again." She smirked. "Do you need to go fix your girl or what? We can wait."

"Oh, that's not my girl. I brought her home from Starbucks a few hours ago." He shrugged. "She'll be back. She didn't drive herself here… Do I even wanna know how you two got into my house? Please tell me that Elijah isn't going to show up..."

The blonde shook her head. "Oh no, I may be cute and shit, but I know some things." She smiled, looking back at Bri. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"My ovaries exploded." Bri sighed as she pulled Alex into another hug. "I missed you. You grew up on me! Look at you. You have tattoos! God, I feel even older than I did this morning. Jacey, look at him. He's handsome as fuck."

Jacey shrugged, poking at Alex's ass. "Where did our little baby go? This is not our baby, this is a grown ass _man_." She shook her head. "And he's a slut."

"I learned from the best." He smiled as he rubbed Bri's belly. "So, you trying to get me to play daddy because I will happily do so. I'm sure the kid will be attractive. I'm a slut because Bri made me one Jacey, I thought you knew."

"Shush, I did not." Bri shook her head as she pulled the young man back into a hug. "You have to come by for dinner one night. Meet the whole gang. We have more suits than just Elijah and my dad now. I have kids. A lot has changed since the last time we spoke. I mean, this bitch right here has two kids of her own. Hell, even Elijah has a kid now. Jacey, let me kidnap him. Please? We can hide him from Jax."

Alex laughed and shook his head. "Kids? Damn… Brianna, you were supposed to have my babies! Now I have to wait in line. Jacey has kids? Man, I didn't see that coming, not at all and Elijah? He seems like the type to eat babies instead of raising one of his own. Yes, Jacey please let her kidnap me!"

"Shut up, smartass, Bri jinxed me… I have a daughter and a son. They'll probably eat your ass up too." Jacey grinned. "Oh what the hell. Come on, let's go… I'm not telling a soul." She nodded.

"Wait, at least let me put some damn boxers on. Can't have my meat just swinging around." Alex laughed and shrugged. "I can't wait to see Aleksandr. I haven't seen him in like three years."

Jacey shrugged. "I mean…" She stopped, her blue eyes on Bri. "Ok, I'll hush."

"He should proudly let it swing around." Bri smirked at Jacey. "It'd be a blessing to every woman's eyes."

The blonde smirked back at the brunette and shrugged. "I have to protest, I might do things that shouldn't be done." She shook her head. "Let's go, Alex! We have cookies and cake to eat."

"I'm ready." Alex walked back out of his closet and smiled. "I already called the brunette a taxi so she should be good. I also hope she didn't try to steal anything." He picked up the clothes from the floor and shrugged. "She's going to need these. Let's go."

Jacey shook her head. "I swear I'm gonna have to fight today, aren't I? She's gonna swing on you, love." She smirked at the man as she walked out of the room. "Come on, we need to spend time together before I go to Malibu. You'll get to see all our perfect babies later too."

"What're you going to Malibu for?" He draped an arm over Jacey's shoulders. "You trying to relax or is it a business trip? I have a house there."

She patted his face and shrugged. "Working some thoughts and feelings out while the kid's father continues to hide and run on our life together." She smiled at him and nodded. "So come on."

"You have a house in Malibu? Now I feel even worse off knowing I didn't lock you down when I could!" Bri groaned. "Jacey, shoot me and put me out of my misery!"

The blonde shook her head. "Nah just tell him the baby is his so he has take care of it and you…" she smiled. "Just be a man, Alex."

"I'm willing to step up." He kissed Bri's cheek and smiled. "I always told you I wanted to have a kid with you. Jacey, she used to just wave it off but I was serious as hell. We were gonna have like eight kids and live on a ranch in Malibu."

Jacey shook her head. "Because you didn't ask my permission to marry my one true love, brat. But tell us again! What do you do, who's the hoe, give us all the details!"

"I do what Brianna taught me. I invest, I solve _problems_ , I help people." Alex smiled. "I'm a suit without being actually affiliated to the Family. The hoe is some chick that I picked up on the way home from a late night, I had to work out my energy and aggression but you two decided to interrupt!" He shook his head. "It's a good setup for me. Work and then a bed buddy, no real commitments."

Jacey looked at her sister and shrugged. "Look he's like us… He hasn't reached all the fun commitments yet. Like kids and a pointless uninteresting relationship." She rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna go wait in the car, find out what Igor did with Cami."

Bri nodded, watching as Jacey disappeared before she turned to look at Alex. "Man, it's long time no see for real."

He nodded slowly before pointing to her belly. "You in love this time Brianna?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "He's an amazing guy, he loves me, treats me like I'm the best goddamn thing in the world. It's what I really needed."

He smiled at her and rubbed the back of his head. "Good. I know it's been awhile since we've seen each other but I did want to reach out when I got that message a few years back. It was the first time in _forever_ that I powered on my little prepaid blackberry and listened to pending messages. I had no idea that they'd be saved for that long but shit, hearing your voice, the way you were on the verge of tears. I wanted to reach out but decided against it."

Bri nodded slowly, knowing exactly what message he was referring to. "I crashed and burned. Ran. Stayed in Europe for two years. Came back here when Jacey called me crying, she was going through it with her boyfriend and I came running. It set me on this crazy ass path. I met my ex, you remember I told you about him? Juice, yeah. I have a kid with him. Then I got my daughter Monica back, you met her like once. Now I'm on my third kid by a third guy. I'm the definition of white trash right now Alex." She chuckled and shook her head. "We are the product of our decisions."

He chuckled. "You always were a mess Brianna. I think that's what I loved most about you. The way you could put on a face of complete and total control, poise and togetherness but as soon as you were in your comfort zone you were a fucking mess. All laughs, bad jokes and trouble. You were always getting into trouble."

"Trouble followed me! I swear, I never went looking for it." The brunette shook her head before her hands landed on her belly. "I want it to go on record that I was usually in control most of the time. You don't have to come hang out or to dinner but let's at least exchange working numbers. I would love to actually catch up. You were everything to me and I'm sorry that I left you the way I did. Daniela so wasn't worth it. She ripped me to shreds, you were right."

Alex nodded slowly as he pulled the brunette into a hug. "I forgive you for it. It sent me on a path to do the best I could. Also made me realize that I needed everything that you had taught me. I was sixteen when we met and it was like the best thing ever, hot college girlfriend, her family who was crazy connected, it did nothing but boost my ego and teach me some amazing technique that I still use today."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "To my defense, I was drunk when we met in Walmart. Well, I was tipsy. I saw you and was like, I want that one. So, I got you." She smirked. "I can't get away with that shit anymore though but it's awesome. I'm glad you're doing well. Just, reach out and stop by. I'll reintroduce you to the family, maybe even introduce you to Jackson and the Sons of Anarchy." She shrugged as she passed him her phone. "Number please."

He paused for a moment, looking at her phone before looking back up at the brunette. "Monica is gorgeous, this your son?" He smiled before entering his number and passing it back. "Sons of Anarchy? The motorcycle club from Charming? Your boyfriend is in it?"

Bri nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's not just in it. He's the president of that charter." She smiled as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. "I'll text you later. Be good Alex. Sorry for being a cockblock."

Alex forced a smile. "That's really cool. I knew you'd fall for a criminal." He rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna patch shit up with my fuckbuddy and see if she can't forgive me so I can get off. I'm gonna hold you to introducing me to everyone again and the Sons."

 **May 27, 2013**

"Dad!" Javier ran towards Juice, throwing himself into the man's legs as he smiled widely. "Hi!"

"Hey man." Juice lifted up his son and settled him on his side. "What's up? I haven't seen you in like _two_ days! You've been behaving for your mom?"

"Yes." The four year old nodded. "I've been so good dad. The baby kicks my hands when I talk to him. It's so cool. Mama says he'll be here soon and I'll get to hold him. I'm gonna be a good big brother."

"Finally got him to stop being jealous?" Juice smiled at Brianna as he caught her hand as she tried to walk past him. "Thanks for bringing him up here. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

Bri shook her head and flashed a friendly smile. "It wasn't a bother at all. You know we're going to be local soon. We just came from watching the contractors build the playground in the backyard. He's excited for you to come over one day and swing on the monkey bars with him and Monkey."

"Stop calling me Monkey." Monica shook her head as she grabbed her mom's hands. "It's too hot out here. I can't believe we live in the desert now. I am gonna miss being in the bay mom." She sighed as she rested her head against Bri's baby bump. "He's never gonna know what the bay breeze feels like!"

"I'm sorry baby." The brunette smiled. "You can go inside. It'll be cooler in there, hopefully. If you see your dad, have him braid your hair up and off your neck."

Juice shook his head. "You have three Sons who are fathers to your children."

"Javier, go inside with your sister." Bri crossed her arms, watching as Monica and Javi disappeared into the clubhouse. "What're you trying to say right now _Juan_?"

"Kind of a bad look." He shrugged. "It's like you slept your way to the president. Intelligence officer, Enforcer, President. You climbed ranks fast. Let's not forget your little roll in the hay with Kozik… It's fucking slutty. Could at least be clean about it. They all know, they won't respect you as the Queen around here. You're not an insider, you're an outsider…"

"Why are you such a dick to me?" Bri wiped at her eyes. "Watch your fucking back Juice. No, no. Watch your fucking inbox because you'll be getting fucking served really soon. I hope you've saved enough for a private elementary school, sports, other expenses. You can't be a dick to me because you feel the need to be one. I'm over this shit and I'm done playing nice with you. Enjoy today with Javi because you won't be seeing him again until we have an agreement in place." She eyed him carefully before shaking her head. "They'll respect me, respect is earned and I don't expect to show up here and have everyone falling all over themselves because of me. Go be with your son and leave me alone before I put a bullet between your eyes."

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 **AN: I swear, there's a method to my madness. Keep your eyes out for Yevgeny, he was mentioned in the previous chapter. Also, keep your eyes out for Alex who kinda stiffened up at Bri's mention of the Sons of Anarchy. XD If you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know and thank you to those who left reviews last chapter. It was appreciated.  
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	34. The Move

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 **this chapter is a short filler one before we welcome the arrival of the newest Teller. So enjoy this and I'll talk you all next update.  
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 **June 1, 2013**

Move in day. It was finally upon Brianna, Jax and the kids. It was time to trade in the Fortress for the comfort of the craftsman home in Charming. Goodbye to permanent residence in the bay and hello to being a resident of the desert. Bri sighed, her hands moving over her stomach as she watched the Igor load the last box into the back of the large truck. "It's done. We're really moving to Charming."

"I'm gonna miss it!" Javier shook his head as he looked up at his mom. "Who's gonna live in it huh? A new family"

Bri shook her head. "No baby, it's still our house. We're going to stay in this house when we come visit Jacey, Happy, Cam and Kol."

"Oh." He nodded slowly. "So I get two rooms?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, you have two rooms, one here and one at the new house. Remember we went there a few weeks ago and saw them build the new playground for you babe?"

Javier smiled as he grabbed his mom's hands. "Yeah, I remember that!" He nodded. "I got another room too! At my dad's!"

"I know you do baby boy." She forced a smile, she still hadn't managed to get over the way Juice had disrespected her. She knew they weren't as friendly as they could've been but she didn't expect him to be a dick to her. She hadn't expected him to stoop to _that_ level. She expected it from the women but not the father of her child. "It's a very nice room at your dad's house."

"Can he visit the new house?" He started skipping around her. "Huh? He can do monkey bars with me again!"

"Yeah babe." She nodded as she saw him get picked up by Igor. "I guess that means it's time to go to the new house." She sighed, watching as her sister moved up the driveway. "Jacey!" She moved towards the blonde and instantly pulled her into a hug. "Babe! I love you! I'm going to miss you so, so, so much. Promise that you'll come visit me and your little babies. I feel like I'm going to cry right now. I'm so over being this pregnant!"

Jacey laughed as she rubbed her sister's back. "Bri, calm down. It'll be fine. I promise I'll visit you and the babies as long as you promise to visit me and mine." She pulled back, pressing a kiss to the brunette's forehead. "You don't have to cry, this is a happy moment, the start of a better life together with Jax."

Bri wiped as her face before resting her forehead against Jacey's. "I love you Jacey. I'll keep a room just for you and the babies when you come to visit. It'll be all yours. No one can touch it. Also, you need to see the studio we have for Monica. Maybe help her set up lighting. She can be your little protege."

"Don't cry because you'll make me cry." The blonde shook her head. "I'll visit you as soon as you settle in. I promise. This isn't like you're up and moving to a new country. You're not far away. I'll love to help Monica."

"I love you." Bri pulled Jacey back into a hug. "Man, you shouldn't have let me adult. I feel like I'm too young to adult."

Jacey laughed again. "You have to adult sometime. Just don't do it too hard. You'll be good. We'll visit you guys soon and we can avoid adulting together. Alright babe?"

She nodded and smiled. "I'm good with that. I can't wait for you to visit. I get to show you how gorgeous this house is. I love it. I didn't think I'd ever love a house more than I love the Fortress but the Charming Craftsman is perfect."

"I'll be there." The blonde pulled her sister into a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you Bri."

"I'm gonna miss you too J but remember, if you ever need me, I'm a phone call away. I'll drop everything for you." Bri nodded as she squeezed Jacey, feeling her son start to kick. "I think he's against tight hugs." She chuckled as she pulled back to look at Jacey. "Man, I can't even deal with this. I can't even believe this day is actually here. I'll see you later, alright?"

Jacey nodded. "I'm holding you too that. I love you Bri."

"I love you too Jacey." Bri nodded. "So much."

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"I love my room!" Monica bounced down the stairs and towards Jax. "It's amazing! I love it so much!"

Jax smiled down at the brunette. "I'm glad you love it. I picked out the color myself, your mom doesn't get any credit for that." He chuckled as he lifted her up and settled her on his hip. "One day we won't be able to even pick you up. You ever get tired of being picked up like you're two Monica?"

She shook her head as she trailed her fingers through his blonde hair and smiled. "If you guys insist on always picking me up, I'm not gonna complain about it." She shrugged. "I love the color and the bed! The bed is so awesome. I always wanted a four poster bed like that. It looks so regal and I'm a regal gal."

"Smart girl." He nodded. "I liked the color and the bed too. It's a room fit for a princess." He moved towards the living room, dropping onto the sofa as he situated Monica next to him. "You like it here right? You're not upset that you have to go to a new school and make new friends?"

Monica nodded. "I love the house. I'm not upset about a new school. I didn't like my old one and I didn't like any of the kids because they still make fun of me for my accent and then now they started calling me Monica Whorekova. I don't like that, it was annoying because they didn't even get creative with the insult."

"Good, I'm happy you love it. Whorekova, yeah, they could've been more creative." He chuckled and shook his head. "You're perfect though, accent and all. Don't let the dumbasses in school faze you. Your accent suits you, over time you'll lose it though, just like your mom has a very faint accent and it only is more noticeable when she is mad or upset."

"Mom doesn't have an accent, you have the accent." She smirked at him before patting his cheeks. "It sounds funny, you say some words weird."

"I hate to break it to you little darlin' but I don't have an accent." He shook his head as he looked at her carefully. "So, you excited about getting another little brother or are you just over it already? You can be honest with me."

"Whatever you say Jax." Monica shrugged. "I dunno, I guess I'm taking it better than I did with Kol. I wanna meet the baby but then I don't wanna be forgotten about because all your time and mom's time is gonna be on the new baby."

"We'll make time for all of you equally." He nodded. "We won't totally forget about you. I promise."

"I'm gonna hold you to that promise." She smiled as she grabbed his hands and placed them on her head. "Braid my hair for me. I don't want it on my shoulders anymore."

Jax shook his head. "I can't braid. The best I can do for you is a bun." He took the elastic off his wrist and pulled Monica's hair up into a bun. "I tend to put my hair back in a bun from time to time when I get into the ring."

She laughed. "I'll teach you how to braid one day, ok?" She looked at him and nodded. "Are we gonna cuddle and nap? Or do we have responsibilities at the clubhouse to attend to?"

He cocked an eyebrow at the ten year old. "What responsibilities would you have at my clubhouse? You join up when I wasn't looking?"

"I'm now the princess around these parts." She smirked. "I have to give my people what they want! My sass!"

He laughed. "You have to ask your mom and dad if you can deliver your sass to the clubhouse first. I'm not taking you without you having permission first."

"If I get permission can you give me a ride on your Dyna? Huh?" Monica bounced off the sofa and tugged on the man's hands. "Come on, let's go get permission right now! I cannot wait any longer. Nope!"

Jax nodded. "I'll give you a ride on the Dyna." He smiled as he was tugged into the kitchen, smiling as he saw his girlfriend standing at the stove. "What're you cooking? Didn't think we'd break in the kitchen this quickly."

"I was hungry." She turned back and smiled at the pair. "Uh oh, what are you two up to right now? Who already broke what in my house?"

"We didn't break anything mom." Monica shook her head. "Can I go to the clubhouse with Jax?"

Bri looked at her daughter and nodded slowly. "Yeah, you can go to the clubhouse with Jax. You just can't cause any trouble."

"I won't cause any trouble." She smiled as she rubbed her mom's belly. "I'll behave, I promise. I just wanna go take pictures on the roof."

"Alright, then you can tag along." Bri smiled before she looked at her boyfriend. "Make sure you keep an eye on her. If you need me to come and get her, just call me ok Jax?"

Jax nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I got it babe." He kissed Bri's head. "Don't slave too much in the kitchen. We'll see you in a few hours then."

"Well, have fun. Me, the baby and Javi are gonna be lazing around the house." Bri turned off the stove. "Gotta love grilled cheese."

 **June 4, 2013**

"Oh, fake contractions you are a motherfucking bitch!" Bri gritted out as she sipped on a glass of water, trying to work her way through the contractions. "You're not even real! Why are you doing this? Why are you even happening. Creed isn't supposed to be here for like two more weeks! Nope, stop your shit right now! Stop it! Stop it! _Stop_!"

"Who are you talking to mama?" Javier popped up between his mom and the counter. "Who's hurting you?"

"Your brother is trying to kick his way out of my gut." She looked down at her son and forced a smile. "I'll be fine, he just has to settle down. You think you can hold my hand and cuddle with me on the sofa baby? I need your cuddles and love."

He nodded as he grabbed her hand. "Come on mama, I'll play with your hair too, ok?"

She nodded as she walked with him out of the kitchen and into the family room. "You're the best little thing ever. You know that right?" She sat down before laying on her side, trying to get as comfortable as she could before she pulled her son to her. "I love you so much Javi."

"I love you too." He looked up at her, his tiny hands trailing through her hair. "He's gonna be here soon then he won't hurt you anymore. Ok?"

"Ok." She kissed his forehead. "You're so good to me. I love you soo much. You're my little handsome love." She rubbed his back slowly. "Who do you think will fall asleep first? You or me?"

Javier shrugged. "You're gonna fall asleep first. I'm not gonna fall asleep yet." He shook his head as he yawned. "Is he still being a meanie?"

"I'll fall asleep." She nodded as she closed her eyes. "He's calming down. He always calms down when he hears your voice. He knows you're his big brother and he doesn't want you mad at him."

"Good." He nodded as he rubbed her stomach. "I'm- I'm, I'm not gonna fall asleep."

Bri chuckled. "I know you won't baby girl." She rubbed his back and smiled. "I'm gonna fall asleep for you first. I love you baby."

"Creed, it's time to go night night." Javier mumbled as he pressed on Bri's belly. "We gotta let mama have some sleep. She's sleeping right now. I can hear her snoring." He nodded as he yawned once more. "I love you Creed, I can't wait to see you, please come early. I can't wait anymore." He pressed a kiss to the bump before moving back up and kissing Bri's forehead. "Night, night mama. I love you."


	35. Brats & Welcomes

**June 13, 2013**

"When are you going to let me meet your daughters Aleksandr?" Gabrielle inquired as she hooked her hands behind the large man's neck and pressed a kiss to his dimpled chin. "You ashamed of me or something?"

Aleksandr shook his head as he looked down at the blonde and smiled. "No, I'm not ashamed of you Gabi. I just know how my daughters can be, they're going to jump on me about the age difference first, then pitch a fit about it for a few weeks before even settling with the thought that their dad is in a relationship but if you insist on meeting them, I'll make it happen."

She nodded and smiled, rubbing her hands over his scruffy face. "God, I love it when you don't shave. So damn handsome."

He kissed her lips and smirked as his hands fell to her hips. "You're trying to butter me up right now. It's not going to work." He shook his head as he backed her up against the wall. "I'm not falling for it. I think if you want to meet the family, you're going to have to shower, put on something nice but casual and be ready in an hour."

"An hour?" Gabrielle nodded. "Jesus, I thought it'd be a week or so until it happened, not in an hour, babe!"

"Hey, you asked and I'm delivering." He kissed her again and smiled. "Go hit the shower and I'll be waiting downstairs for you. You're meeting my daughters, not the president or some casting agent, you don't have to be over the top, keep it casual."

"I'm not gonna over do it." She shook her head as she hugged him before slipping underneath his arms. "Casual and simple. If you love me, you'll have some coffee waiting for me when I get done getting ready, I need an energy boost."

Aleksandr nodded as he turned and watched the blonde disappear into his bathroom before he moved out of his bedroom and towards the stairs. His mind wandering to the impending meeting that was about to happen. He knew he was walking Gabrielle into the lion's den but he couldn't keep her away from his family any longer now that things between the two of them were very serious and she had basically moved in with him.

He took the stairs two at a time, not in any rush to get into the kitchen and start the coffee. "Those two better behave." He grumbled to himself as he reached the kitchen, only to double back at the sound of the doorbell ringing, he wasn't expecting any visitors so his hand went instinctively to the gun in the back of his pants as he slowly walked to the door, looking at the security camera before relaxing and pulling the door open. "What're you guys doing here? Huh?" He looked at Jacey, Brianna and Kol before stepping aside and allowing them in.

"Nice to see you too dad." Bri rolled her eyes as she walked into the house, a new smell assaulting her nostrils. "We were on our way back to Jacey's after a little shopping day. We did some real damage."

Jacey nodded her head, looking around the foyer. Something felt off to her. "Are you cooking something? What's that smell?" She kissed the man's cheek. "We just wanted to visit and Kol was chanting your name so here we are."

"I had cooked early. I was just about to put some coffee on." Aleksandr smiled as he lifted up Kol. "Hello my boy! So, you were chanting my name huh?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Look at us and say that then huh?" She shook her head, pinching Bri before pointing toward a pair of black heels. "Why didn't we get invited to this meal, dad?"

"Papapapa!" Kol smiled at Aleksandr, slapping his tiny fists on the man's chest. "Papapapapapa!"

"Hi." Aleksandr kissed Kol's forehead. "How'd my little man doing? I missed you, you want a cookie?"

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, give him lots of cookies. Bri, let's go to the bathroom. Give him hell, Kol baby." She grinned, grabbing Bri's hand and tugging her up the stairs.

"Someone is here." Bri mumbled to Jacey once they were half way up the stairs. "You could smell her right… Wait, the shower is going. Do you hear it?" She pulled Jacey into their dad's room and shook her head. "That fucking man is a whore."

Jacey nodded her head. "Yes I smell it. Then those heels. He's got some slut here." She whispered, looking around the room before she noticed the messed up bed. "When has he ever just not made his bed up and those clothes right that. That's not his style."

"She's probably in the shower right now. I wanna scare her." Bri nodded as she heard the water turn off. "Oh shit… She's gonna be out any minute. Remember, we have to be cutthroat, see if she's any good for dad."

The blonde shrugged. "Can I be abusive?" She stood against the door looking into the bathroom. "Please?"

"Depends, you aren't against hitting your own kind? She's totally a blonde." Bri sniffed a pillow before dropping it back onto the bed. "I can't believe that fucker has a little girlfriend. You think she's got kids of her own?"

Jacey shook her head. "Of course not, I beat Jax all the time. Counts, right? Whatever, let her run her mouth, I'll knock her to the ground." She pulled Bri into the bathroom and hopped onto the counter, holding up a purple thong. "The hell is this?" She whispered.

"Oh, he's so dating someone our age." Bri shook her head as she covered her face. "I'm gonna kick his ass… Swear to God."

The blonde groaned a little. "She's tiny too.. Look at the size of this. Is this a training bra?" She held up a black bra and shook her head. "Ew, dad, ew."

"Can I help you?" Gabrielle stuck her head out of the shower and eyed the pair of women. "Oh my God, are you Alk's daughters? I thought we were going to see you guys in an hour, not you guys show up here."

Jacey looked at the blonde before looking at Bri. "Alk?" She mouthed, shaking her head. "Who are you and why are you in my father's shower?"

"I'm Gabrielle, Aleksandr's girlfriend." The blonde wrapped a towel around her before stepping out of the shower. "You must be Jacey and you have to be Bri."

Jacey looked at her sister and shook her head. "She's our age… She's literally our age, wow. What in the hell."

"I can't believe it." Bri shook her head. "You put some clothes on and meet us downstairs. Jacey come on right now. I have a man to kill."

The blonde hopped off the counter. "Hope Kol's distracted by his snacks… He doesn't need a grandfather." She flung the thong to the floor. "Need to cover your ass too. Ew."

"I can't believe this shit." She mumbled again as they moved out of the bedroom. "He's basically got us a step sister and not a step mom."

Jacey scoffed. "I have enough sisters… I don't need a damn new one. I don't even like blondes, just Cami." She shook her head. "Nope, he's definitely getting a fist to the throat."

"So, I assume you two just met Gabrielle?" Aleksandr looked at his daughters as they walked into the kitchen. "So, do your worst."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "You're so damn nonchalant about that child up there! She's practically -." She stopped herself before shaking her head. "When's the prom, huh?!"

"I already knew how you were going to react…" He shook his head. "I'm sure you have better material than that. She's a college graduate, she's funny, she's gorgeous, she's good company. It's not like I'm proposing to her or anything. We've only known each other a year and we've only been serious the last nine months."

The blonde raised her eyebrows. "I'm so done here! Nine months? Nine, dad? That's almost a year! You jerk. She's not gorgeous either, she might as well be your granddaughter!"

"Oh!" Aleksandr shook his head. "I didn't bring her around because I knew you'd react this way. You can't be happy that I'm happy and have a girlfriend? Would you feel differently if she were my age and had kids your age?"

Jacey turned her head, looking at Bri. "Talk to this human, I'm not doing it anymore."

"I don't even know what to say. I mean… He seems to be happy J." Bri sighed as she looked at her sister. "I do hate that she's our age because it feels like you've gone off and brought us back a sister."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not calling her mom! That's for sure." She shook her head."

"You don't have to call her mom, her name is Gabrielle, Gabi for short." Aleksandr smiled. "You didn't hear me pitching a fit when you guys introduced me to your men. Boy oh boy did I have some choice words for Happy and Jax."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "He's not my man… I'm single." She tried to hide her smile. "And he's not twenty years older than me!"

"Oh, my bad, your husband or soon to be husband." He shook his head. "I can't keep track of who's marrying whom and who's not marrying which person." He smirked at the blonde. "Don't scare my girlfriend off. I am quite fond of her. She's the first girlfriend I've had since Brianna was thirteen. Brianna scared that woman away."

The blonde gasped, covering her mouth. "I'm not constantly engaged or married. You better be lucky I don't have as many kids as I do boyfriends, fathead." She shook her head. "I'm not saying a thing."

"I am thoroughly surprised at your lack of kids. You're letting Brianna beat you." He shrugged. "See guys, I can do low blows too."

"Oh." Bri shook her head as she flipped her dad off. "If I had a mom, I'd totally cry to her about you calling me a slut… Jacey punch him."

Jacey shook her head. "Nope, I'm not talking to him right now. He just called me the smart slut. At least we keep it in the same age range. Twenty to thirty years is pushing it."

"Um! Brianna was married to a man who was three times her age at one point. Do I need to dig up that wedding album." Aleksandr pulled Bri into a hug. "I know it's a sore subject but it was the only example I could use against your sister."

"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt." Gabrielle walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to grab a cup of coffee." She navigated around Jacey and Brianna. "Do you guys want a cup?"

Jacey shook her head. "Doesn't count, jerk, it was against her will. Try again. You have nothing on us." She looked at Gabrielle and shook her head again. "No. I'm not a fan of coffee… Dad where's my child?"

"He's in his little pack n play, I came in here to load up on some good snacks so him and I could bond." Aleksandr moved around the island and picked up Kol. "See, he's here. Good as new, no harm done."

The blonde shook her head. "To be determined. You could be filling his head with lies… You do it with Camryn." She rolled her eyes at her grinning son. "You're not as handsome as you think you are… Monster."

"I don't fill her head with lies." He shook his head. "Kol is my perfect little partner in crime when it comes down to snack time."

Jacey looked at her sister. "Yeah because you're both fatasses and could eat six meals together…" She shook her head. "I'm just gonna go call your future son and tell him I want another kid since you apparently need more grandchildren."

"We have good metabolisms." Aleksandr nodded as he tickled Kol's belly and smirked. "He's got a cute little gut. I love it so much. My little fat man."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "You see that face? That's his troublemaker face. He's staying here until he's tired of being a mess. Bri, I'm hiding out at your house."

"That works, we can cuddle and watch movies." Bri nodded and smiled. "It'll be so fun."

Jacey shrugged. "I gotta get knocked up before Hap goes on his run though… Hope for twins, dad. Go big or go home, yeah?" She grinned at him.

"It's your body you're stretching out not mine, so I'm hoping you have quadruplets." Aleksandr smirked at the blonde before turning his attention to Kol. "Let's make some more cookies. Gabi loves making cookies, she makes some really awesome sugar cookies and double chocolate chunk cookies."

Jacey looked at Bri and shook her head. "Get my baby from his step-aunt." She mumbled, popping Bri's breasts. "Get him from your new sister."

"I can hear you." Gabrielle turned to look at Jacey. "I won't touch your child if you don't want me to. I can respect boundaries."

Jacey nodded. "Good, I don't know you so don't." She crossed her arms.

"That's reasonable." The blonde flashed a small smile before moving to the sink to wash her hands. "If you guys are more comfortable, you can have a seat in the living room and I can bake some cookies or make you guys drinks or something."

Jacey looked at her silent sister and shook her head. "Oh sure, come on Helen Keller." She murmured, tugging her toward the living room. "I'm a second from slitting your long ass throat."

"What did I do?" Bri sighed. "I'm trying not to wring her neck and if I talk it's going to go south really quickly."

The blonde shook her head. "Other than practically leaving me by myself there? Oh nothing, nothing. Bitch is lurking… And she so checked dad out."

"I saw that." The brunette nodded. "She's still checking him out." She pointed to the small security monitor that showed was what happening in the kitchen. "Ew, they kissed."

Jacey scoffed, digging her nails into Bri's forearm. "Why are they kissing while he's got my damn son in his arms? Do something now!"

"He's groping her ass!" Bri shook her head. "Okay, I mean I give it nine more months until she's saying she's pregnant. We're gonna be big sisters J. Look at them."

The blonde shook her head. "I'm not going to be anything but the newest inmate down the road if he doesn't get my child away from that damn thing."

"I can hear you." Aleksandr walked into the living room and passed Kol to Jacey. "I think it's time for you to both leave. I'll see you two later." He shook his head before moving out of the living room.

Jacey looked at Bri and shook her head. "You're kidding right? Did he seriously just-?" Jacey stood up and rolled her eyes. "Let's go, Bri. Our dad just chose his fun friend over his kids."

"No, I am kicking you out because you don't even want to attempt to get to know Gabrielle." Aleksandr scowled at the blonde. "Go be brats elsewhere. I didn't disrespect Esai, Elijah or Happy, I didn't disrespect Juice, Kozik, Jax, Lucius and whoever else you slept with Brianna. So, if you two aren't going to talk to her and try to get to know her then I suggest you leave now."

The blonde rolled her eyes again. "Why do we need to get to know her? You should know better than anyone that we all run through people… We all get used to one new family member and another pops up." She shook her head. "Why do you propose we discuss, dad?" She shook her head. "Let's go, Bri."

"You ever stop to think that I may just love Gabrielle?" Aleksandr shook his head. "Get out of my house, the both of you. I don't want to hear from you for a while. Unless it's an absolute emergency."

Jacey shook her head as she passed her son off to her sister. "Is that so? That mean I need to take you off the damn guest list for my wedding?"

"No." He shook his head. "Are you going to stop being a brat?"

She shrugged. "You just basically kicked us out of your damn life over some female… I'm not doing this anymore. Brianna if you're not coming with me then call one of the boys." She grabbed Kol and pushed past her dad.

"I didn't kick you out of my life because of Gabrielle. I'm kicking you out because you want to be a brat and not try to get to know the woman that I love." Aleksandr shrugged. "I've never asked anything of either of you. I knew how you two would react so that's why I never brought her up. Because I knew this was going to happen, that you wouldn't want to give her the time of day. You could at least pretended to give a damn, pretended to actually care about me doing something for myself for once… I can't have that can I because you guys don't want that for me."

Jacey shrugged, moving toward the front door. "Bri, dad's talking to you. I'm being a brat and leaving like I was told." She pulled the door open and walked out before she looked back. "I'm more pissed off because she's oh so important to you but you're choosing now to bring her to our attention. I love that you appear happy." She slammed the door shut before moving to her SUV.

"Oh, I can't believe that happened." Bri shook her head. "Dad is pissed."

The blonde put her son into his carseat before she flashed a glare at Bri. "Shush, Bri. You can continue to fucking be silent."

"Hey, what do you want me to do? Get all worked up about this shit?" Bri shook her head again. "I don't think that would've done anything. He just kicked us out of his life… Our dad just abandoned us and it fucking sucks because he's never done that before."

Jacey shook her head. "I'm used to it, all my dads have abandoned me. So really, whatever… I'm sorry for you though."

"Ehh whatever." Bri shrugged. "I don't need a dad anyways. I have a daddy."

Jacey started laughing, shaking her head as she briefly looked at her sister. "You're a slut, but let's be honest… We're both covered there." She started the Rover, her blue eyes on the house. "Gotta admit it, this loss is the most painful. Who cares though? I'm gonna find me a bottle. You wanna be a nice sister?"

"You care." She nodded. "I'll watch him while you get drunk off your ass. You just realized we have to find you a new dad to walk you down the aisle because I already know how you are and you're never talking to that man again."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't, just trying to figure out how to deal with another fucking dad leaving me." She shook her head. "No one will walk me down the aisle. Actually, my big brother will because surprisingly, he's never left me and he's still there when I call. Even if it's during church. I should have picked him in the first place. Sting wouldn't be so bad."

"You do." Bri nodded. "He didn't leave, he's just annoyed. I guess I didn't expect him to react that way though. I thought he'd let us grill her and throw our fits about her and he'd laugh it off because he knows how we are but I also didn't expect him to say he's in love. That threw me way off… I mean, Jax is a good idea for an escort though. It'll be cute."

Jacey shook her head. "Cam's on that babysitting list too. She'll be excited… She'll rub the baby bump and play with your hair." She nodded slowly. "Call E and warn my babysitter. Bottles are coming off the shelves."

"No one is touching the bump today. It hurts." Bri shrugged. "Let's get out of here. I'm cold and just wanna be lazy."

Jacey pulled out of the driveway and started for her sister's house. "Why's it hurt? What's wrong?" She grabbed her sister's hand and laced their fingers together. "I'll keep the kids, you relax. I'll drink another time… I'll just whine and cry when they go to bed. Just don't say anything to Jax. He'll call Hap off the run."

"Feels like those fake contractions." The brunette shrugged. "My stomach tightens up then relaxes. I can watch the babies. You don't need to whine or cry, he'll reach out Jacey. He's just upset because he thinks we aren't happy for him."

She shook her head. "Why don't we go get you checked out, huh? 'Lijah knows all about that nonsense right?" She squeezed Bri's hand. "Doesn't mean I'm not upset over this shit now. Who says that's really true, Bri? I'll be fine, you know me better than anyone… I'm fine. I'm just annoyed with another departure." She shrugged. "He can reach out to you, if I could honestly hide from him, I would."

"Bitch, shut the fuck up." Bri shook her head and flicked her sister's nose. "You're telling me that if he apologizes you're still gonna ice him out because he lost his temper because we were being bratty as fuck? If he was bratty to Happy or Jax, we'd kick him out of the house too."

Jacey turned a glare onto her sister. "I'm not icing him out now, Bri. I'm just not going to accept whatever he does if he reaches out to me, if he shows up at the wedding too, he can happily leave. I don't want him there anymore, Bri. He's doing this shit over some female, not over our brattiness. We're constantly bratty, don't see him doing this shit any other time."

"Why are you more upset about this than I am?" Bri rubbed her stomach. "Is it too early for me to go into labor?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't know… I don't, I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I don't know how far along you are."

"Thirty-five weeks." The brunette sighed. "A week away from nine full months."

Jacey shook her head, pulling into a random driveway. "Where are we going? Elijah's to check you, your house or the hospital? You could definitely be in labor right, Brianna."

"I guess the hospital." Bri shrugged. "I'm definitely feeling a whole lot of pain right now Jacey."

The blonde looked back at her sleeping son briefly and nodded. "Call our father, I'll call Jax… How's your little bucket of water? Or did you piss in my car?"

"I didn't piss in your car but I am leaky." Bri shrugged again. "I don't wanna go into labor right now Jacey. I'm not ready for this yet."

Jacey shrugged. "Well my sweet nephew said to hell with your agenda book, he has his own." She smiled, speeding up as she rushed to the hospital. "Jax is headed that way, baby, just relax ok?"

"I'm relaxed to the best of my ability. Dad is on his way too." Bri nodded. "He's already controlling my life. Lord, save me now."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "You sure you're not pregnant with Hap's kid? I wouldn't mind that… Means I get one cute ass stepson." She laughed. "I need to be evaluated heavily." She pulled up to the hospital, jumping out of the SUV and running inside. "I need some help. I think my sister's in labor."

"How far along is she? Has her water broken?" The nurse moved around the desk and followed behind Jacey. "How close are the contractions?"

Jacey pulled the passenger door open once she reached her, ignoring the Audi that pulled up behind her SUV. "Thirty-five weeks, possibly and I don't know. Bri, babe, this is - I don't know. Shit, you're freaking me out right now. Go with her, let me get Kol."

"At least I know he has some Hohrykova in him, he's making a dramatic entrance into the world." Bri groaned as she got out of the SUV. "Dr. Hohyrkova, my doctor is Dr. Dennison."

Jacey grabbed her son out of the carseat before she tossed her keys to the young paramedic walking by. "Do me a favor, park this and bring me the keys." She moved after her sister and the nurse. "Do you want me to call Nik?"

"Yes please." Bri nodded. "He hurts so bad, this is worse than Moni and Javi put together."

The blonde cradled her son to her chest as she pulled her phone out of her bra, quickly getting Nik on the phone and telling her what she needed to before she ended the call. "Ok, babe, she's on her way. Anthony's gonna stay at home for now. Breath for me ok?"

"I'm breathing." Bri nodded slowly. "Thank you for being here for me. I couldn't imagine going into labor around anyone else but maybe Jax."

Jacey laughed a little. "Probably because contrary to popular belief, not many have seen all of you."

The brunette laughed and nodded. "I mean Elijah was present when Monica was born but I don't think he looked… I just need this kid out of me. Where is his dad?"

"I don't know, baby love but I'm here and dad's following us with his friend." She shook her head, following the brunette and the nurse into a room. "Plus you got your biggest supporter, Kol." She smiled.

"Ok, I just want you and Kol to lay in bed with me then." Bri nodded. "Please? I need you to hold my hand and Kol to babble some sense into me."

Jacey heard the door open and shut again, looking back to see their dad and his girlfriend. "Of course babe, let's get you situated and hooked up to all that nonsense then we'll get in there with you. Ok?"

"Ok." The brunette nodded as she kicked off her shoes. "I would say I'm never doing this again but shit, I think I'd be a liar but this hurts a whole lot and my water hasn't even broken-" She furrowed her brow as she felt a rush of water down her legs. "Nevermind, spoke way too soon."

Jacey started laughing, accidentally waking up her son. "Oh babe! Look he's on his way for real now!" She grinned at her sister they both started to get situated in the bed. "Kol baby, talk to your B, tell her how crazy she is. Throw some Russian in it too." She passed the baby to Bri.

"How about you help me strangle your uncle when he gets here for not being here already." Bri smiled at Kol. "How come you're so handsome? Who gave you permission to be this handsome huh?"

Kol started grinning and his hands started rubbing Bri's cheeks. "Bebebebebebebebebe! My Bebe."

"Aw, that's my boo." Bri kissed his forehead and grinned. "You're getting so good with the talking thing. I'm absolutely in love with you. You're my favorite nephew."

He started to turn and twist, grinning at the nurse that was moving in and out of the room before he shot a dimpled grin at Aleksandr. "Oh oh oh!"

"Hey fat man." Aleksandr flashed Kol a smile. "I don't have any cookies with me."

Kol stopped grinning and turned around to look at his aunt. "Oh no, oh no." He let out a loud sigh. "Uh." He started to bounce and shake his head. "No no no no no no!"

"I have a cookie in my purse." Bri smiled. "Maybe your mama will give it to you."

Jacey shook her head. "Nope, you need to slow down, Kol. Talk to us, handsome." She smiled, poking his stomach. "Tell us a story."

"Or talk your baby cousin out of his hiding place. You wanna meet the baby?" Bri smiled and nodded. "Or do you still wanna be the only little baby boy?"

"I'm going to step out, see if I can't update Frey and Igor on the happenings." Aleksandr smiled down at his daughters. "I'll be back."

"Alright." Bri nodded. "I will still be here when you get back."

Jacey shook her head, watching Gabrielle slowly move after Aleksandr. "If I didn't love you thoroughly, I wouldn't be here right now… But you're my whole heart and I'm not missing this for nothing."

"I know, thanks for being here." She smiled at the blonde. "I couldn't get through this without you here."

"Bebebebebe!" Kol started giggling as he started to bounce a little. "Dadada."

"Where's your dada?" Bri smiled. "Hmm, you're such a happy baby, it's infectious. I swear. You gotta promise to be a good cousin to Creed, make sure that he doesn't get in too much trouble when he hangs out with you."

Jacey shook her head. "They're gonna be hell… Oh god Bri." She covered her face. "Him looking like Hap and Creed's gonna look just like Jax."

"Best looking cousins ever." Bri smiled. "We're going to catch cases for beating up girls for touching our sons."

She laughed, nodded her head as she gestured to the baby boy grinning at her. "He knows what he's doing, Bri. Look at him. He knows we love the grin and the dimples."

"He's a ladykiller." The brunette poked at Kol's dimples. "You're gonna cause us so many headaches my love." She sighed as she watched her dad walk back into the room, Jax on his heels with Gabrielle nowhere in sight. "At least he got that hint huh Kol?"

"Jack Jack!" Kol looked back, sighing as he grinned at his uncle. "Oooh." He covered his face as his blue eyes spotted Nik walking into the room. "Oh!"

"There's my little love." Nik smirked as she moved towards the bed. "Don't play shy right now Kol. Give Nik some love."

Jacey started laughing. "What do you do to him, huh? He's so in love with you!" She shook her head as she sat up.

"Nenenenene!" Kol blubbered, reaching up for the blonde. "Mine!"

"I got you." Nik picked up Kol and kissed him. "Oh, you're so handsome. I love you, I'm gonna hold you and never let you go. Nope, never ever." She shook her head as she smiled at Jacey. "I'm stealing him from you, alright? For a few hours."

The blonde shrugged. "Keep for a few years. He's gonna be your son in law anyway. He loves him some Kajsa. That's his cuddle buddy, seriously."

"Yeah, yeah I know. I've seen them in the pack n play just holding hands and babbling to each other until they fall asleep." Nik chuckled. "I'll accept him happily as my son in law."

Kol leaned forward, resting his open mouth on Nik's cheek as he blubbered and his hand rubbed her other cheek. "Mine.."

"Yup, all yours." Nik smiled. "Gotta love wet kisses."

Jacey shook her head. "Kol Lowman… stop being so obvious, god. Play a little hard to get." She smirked, looking at Bri and Jax. "Get a room, whores."

"He's a lady killer." Bri laughed. "I knew he was gonna love him a blonde."

Jacey shook her head. "Nuh uh, look at how he's eyeing Jax now. He spotted you again and he's not pleased with your cheating ass."

"Kol better back off my woman." Jax chuckled. "I'm not above exchanging blows with him."

Jacey pointed to the glare on her son's face and shook her head. "He understands you and he's ready to kick your ass for touching on his B."

"Hey, he can't have all the girls." He shook his head. "Alright, alright, Kol you can have your B back."

"Mine! Mine! Mine!" Kol blubbered, bouncing in Nik's arms. "Mine!"

"Gotta love the mine phase." Nik smirked. "I just can't get over your eyes, so gorgeous. Where's his big meanie face?"

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Somewhere in the state, on a run. Probably making messes." She smiled. "You better not let his sister catch you saying that. She misses you."

"I miss her too. I wanna pick her up one day for a girls' day." Nik nodded before frowning. "That sucks, he's missing the birth of a new pain in the ass nephew of his."

The blonde shook her head. "If I know that idiot brother of mine, he's called everybody in the nation. Called that run off too." She laughed.

"Not everyday a Teller baby is born." Jax flashed a lopsided smirk and shrugged. "I need my brothers here to celebrate with us."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "The greatest Teller birth in the world was on August 11, 1982. Nothing beats it."

"I'm ready to push and get this kid out." Bri nodded. "Someone get a doctor, nurse, midwife, a doula, or something."

Jacey stood up and leaned down to kiss Bri's head. "I'll be back, babe… Don't do anything crazy like give birth. I'll kill ya and kidnap the baby love." She smiled and moved for the door, stopping at the sight of Happy stalking down the hall, Kozik, Case, Chibs and Tig behind him. "You're almost late… She's in here. Grab a nurse, Kozik."

"No, you grab a nurse. I'm going to fuck with Bri's wide ass." Kozik grinned, flicking Jacey's head as he approached her.

Happy watched as Jacey flicked Kozik's forehead before he pulled his fiancee to him. "Go get a damn nurse, dumbass." He walked in the room Bri was in. "I told you to damn wait. Why don't you listen?"

"I tried to wait but he wasn't having it." Bri smiled at the man. "Glad you could make it here in time though."

The man shook his head, taking Kol from Nik. "You gonna kidnap his ass and take him home to his girlfriend?" He smirked, kissing Kol's head. "Why ya letting him slobber all over the place, Nik?"

"Because baby slobber keeps me looking gorgeous as hell." Nik shrugged. "Yes, I am gonna take him home to see his girlfriend. She was babbling about him earlier, I swear."

Happy shook his head. "You're soaking your shirt, man. Go to your mama, you're a damn mess." He passed Kol to Jacey, rolling his eyes. "Duh, Nikola, he got her hooked."

"Oh shit, he said the full first name." Nik shook her head. "She's hooked but it's only a matter of time until he's on to the next little girl. He's gonna be a major player."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Your brat better not hurt my little blonde's feeling, Happy." She flicked Happy's nose. "I'll beat you both."

"Whoa, there's a whole lot of you in here." Dr. Dennison smiled. "I have to check Bri. See how she's coming along. Who's staying and who is going?"

Jacey pointed to her sister. "That's up to her who she wants in here. Babe?"

"Jax, Jacey, Nik, Dad." Bri nodded. "Yeah that's it. I think."

Happy gasped. "Oh really?!" He grabbed his son. "Did you hear her, man? We're not allowed!" He shook his head before he kissed Jacey's lips. "We're going to find some food."

"I didn't think you'd wanna be involved in this mess." Bri smiled at Happy. "Can you bring me back like a slice of pizza or something?"

He shook his head again. "Nope! We don't share with ex best friends… You jerk." He flashed her a smirk before he started pushing Kozik out of the room. "Come on, shitheads!"

"No! My bestie is gone." Bri shook her head. "Let's get to checking. I don't know how much more of this pain I'll be able smile through."

Jacey started laughing. "He'll be back, he's got separation anxiety over you." She rolled her eyes. "You're doing good, babe."

"Well, Miss Hohrykova you're out of luck, you don't get any pain medicine. You're about a centimeter away from starting to push." Dr. Dennison flashed a small smile at the brunette. "You're going to feel it all. I'm sorry." She turned her attention on Jax. "If she breaks your hand, we'll make sure you give you something strong for the pain."

Jax shook his head. "Babe, don't break my hand. I need it to ride."

Bri looked at Jax and shook her head. "I'm not gonna break your hand… I'll grip the railing." She shrugged. "I knew this kid was gonna be a real pain."

"He's having his fun. I told you he was gonna do it. Gonna be the best one yet too." He smirked at her, bending to kiss her lips. "We're about to meet our son, babe."

"I'm so excited." She smiled up at her boyfriend. "Finally, the wait is going to be over soon. I'm ready to hold him and maybe complain about how he looks nothing like me."

Jax chuckled, nodding. "I should've warned you. Blonde hair and blue eyes are a big hit around here." He kissed her again. "You ready to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm ready for this." She nodded slowly. "I need to hold him already."

.

.

.

.

Eight pounds, eleven ounces, twenty inches long. Creed was nothing short of perfection. All blue eyes and a head full of gorgeous blonde hair. He had made his grand entrance into the world just three hours ago. "He's absolutely perfect." Bri sighed as she watched Jax hold their son to his chest. "I wish his dad wasn't such a hog though."

"Jackson!" Jacey stood up, moving to the man. "Give me my damn nephew." She popped his arm and slowly eased Creed out of Jax's arms. "You're too perfect, baby." She pressed a soft kiss to the baby's forehead.

"I am so happy that he's here." Bri sighed. "I just wish I had my hospital bag right now. He's missing his most must needed accessory right now."

Happy shook his head. "No damn fur, woman. He looks good without it." He smirked at her as he sat down on the bed. "Good thing he looks like Jacey."

"Happy!" Bri shook her head. "I'm talking about his little custom reaper beanie Nik had made him. I'm not putting any fur on that kid. I like him without it too. We're just producing the next generation of outlaws around here."

He smirked again. "Brianna!" He mocked her tone as he leaned back on her. "That kid ain't gonna be a club kid… Just like mine aren't. As much as I'd love to see Kol prospecting but let's face the truth. He's gonna be some little shithead running around terrorizing Oakland." He shrugged.

"You're right. They're all gonna be suits. It's official, just get them all giftcards to Armani when they all turn eighteen." Bri smiled and nodded. "They can still terrorize Oakland while looking dashing."

Jacey gasped. "Oh hell yeah… I could so see my baby boy as a suit. Fuck the club, he's a suit!" She nodded eagerly. "Someone call Elijah and tell him to start training Kol now."

"Elijah would absolutely die. A little army of baby suits just following after him. He lives for that shit." Bri chuckled. "I'm mad at Elijah though, he missed out on all the action. He was in the room for Moni and Javi!"

Happy shook his head. "No no no. We got Sons… Tell Elijah no. These are Sons." He smirked at his nephew. "You're a Son, you're cousin is a Son."

"It'd be kinda cute if one of them turned into a suit." Bri shrugged. "I know it probably won't be Creed though. He's gonna aim to inherit the gavel when he's older. You can already tell."

Jacey looked at Kol and shrugged. "Well it's not Kol, he's my baby and he's not leaving my side." She smirked.

"It'll probably be Javi Baby." Bri nodded. "He's gonna be super intelligent, may opt to wear a suit. He already tried wearing dad's suit jacket the other night, poor little thing was swallowed right up by it."

Happy nodded his head. "I see the kid as a suit, not a Son. Besides I already declared before Camryn was born… No Sons." He smiled.

"Well aren't you lucky that your little girl has fallen for a little geek monkey then?" The brunette smirked. "I need her here, meeting her little cousin."

Jacey nodded her head. "Her baby. That's all we will get. The baby is hers and no one can have him. She called dibs." She smirked.

"I just want all the pictures of her with Creed and Javi with Creed and Monica with all three of them." Bri sighed. "All of our gorgeous kids together in one picture."

Happy shook his head. "Ya hear her, kid? She doesn't like you enough to include you into that mix." He tapped on Kol's forehead. "What are you grinning about now? You that happy to be with your mama?" He looked at Jax and rolled his eyes. "I'll trade ya. That fool doesn't do shit but talk and keep us up… I'm taking this quiet one."

"Kol and Creed get their own photoshoot Hap." Bri rolled her eyes. "These two are gonna be thick as thieves one day. Breaking hearts wherever they go. I think Kol gets the talkative thing from me! It's cute though. I love it."

Jax shook his head. "Nope, Creed isn't leaving my sight. I'm sure he's torn up about not being with his dad right now."

"Oh yeah, he's so shaken up without you. He's cuddling with Hap. He's good." Jacey smiled, nodding her head.

"Shush." Bri shook her head. "Let's all just try to fit in this bed and cuddle. I wanna just cuddle and enjoy the newest addition to the Teller family."

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 **Oh, with that we have baby Creed finally making his debut. It was a nice and long chapter. Next chapter should be posted within the next few days, possibly sooner, depending on the feedback. :)  
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	36. Dads&Plans

**June 27, 2013**

"He's my baby." Javier looked up at Jax before wagging a tiny little finger in the man's direction. "I'm not giving him to you." He shook his head as he looked down at his two week old baby brother Creed. "Creed, tell your dad to come back later!"

Jax shook his head as he bit back a smile. "Oh, so you're banning me from my own son? I see how you wanna play things Javier."

The four year old shrugged. "Yes. He's my baby. Mom told me to hold him for her while she went to get a snack for us." He gave a succinct nod. "Until she says otherwise, he's staying with me. I'm sorry Jax."

The man nodded. "You're lucky I have to go to TM kid." He pressed a kiss to Javier's forehead before doing the same to Creed. "Keep being a good big brother and make sure your mom takes a nap when your brother does. Alright?"

Javier nodded. "I got this. I'm the man of the house when you go to work." He flashed a smile. "Creed, say by to your dad. He's off to work for the day! We'll see him at dinner time."

Bri caught Jax by his hand and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Have a good day at work." She smiled and nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll be back early though." Jax smiled at the brunette. "Remember, take a nap so you can function properly through the day."

"I will." She nodded. "I can't afford not to nap today." She smiled as she watched him leave the house before she took a seat next to her sons. "So, Creed giving you hell yet or has he just been staring at you?"

"Just been staring." Javi nodded. "He has pretty blue eyes. How come I don't have colored eyes like you guys? I have brown ones. I got to see my eyes close up at school the other day. It was so much fun. The teacher took a picture and let us see it."

"Because your dad has brown eyes, so you have his pretty brown eyes." Bri rubbed Creed's head and smiled. "He has his dad's eyes and well Monica just has green eyes to annoy her dad Happy."

"How come Monica looks like you but I look like my dad and Creed looks like Jax?" He furrowed his brow before looking up at his mom. "I don't get any of this."

She laughed and shook her head. "Girls tend to look like their moms. Boys take after their dads. It's weird like that. Also sometimes you get kids who look nothing like their parents and will instead favor a relative. Be happy you don't look like your uncle Frederik. He's got one ugly mug. I can't wait for you guys to meet my other siblings. I think your Aunt Raisa and her daughter come for a visit soon. Raisa is my older sister. People say we look alike but I don't see it at all."

"You have an older sister like I do?" He shook his head. "Is she mean like mine is?"

She shook her head. "I have an older sister and no she isn't mean. Monica isn't mean either, she's been very nice to you. She even apologized and stuff." Bri yawned as she stretched further onto the sofa. "You ready for your snack yet or do you wanna keep holding Creed?"

Javier looked between his mom and brother before shrugging. "I want to hold him a little longer then I'll eat my snack. Is that ok mom?"

"Yes. It's more than ok." Bri kissed his head and smiled. "It's perfect baby, continue to bond with your brother."

"Mama." Monica wrapped her arms around the brunette from behind before climbing over the back of the couch and sighing. "I'm out of ideas to take pictures of. I think I burned myself out already."

"Oh my poor little creative monster. That's why I signed you up for that photography day camp. It doesn't start until July first but that gives you time to pack your two favorite cameras. They have to be DSLR, no point and shoots. I left all the information on your desk, if you paid attention you would have noticed it my love." She smiled. "Now. I need you to just lay here and relax with us, Creed is finally giving up some you know what."

"Oh." The emerald eyed brunette nodded. "I didn't even look at my desk. Can't I just go get the package and come back down to relax?"

"Nope." Bri shook her head. "No. I already told your dad about this and he was fine about it because it is just a day camp and not a sleep away camp. Don't make us regret this though Monica, no getting into trouble and if someone messes with you, pull out your phone and call one of us, hell, you can call Anthony or Roman, you know those two will be there. I put them down on the emergency card."

Monica furrowed her brow and sighed. "Why can't I call Elijah? Does he not love me anymore or something? He never is over here at all anymore."

"Babe, Elijah is on a break. He just lazes around his house with Aurelia." Bri pulled her daughter to her and kissed her cheeks. "He still loves you. Stop thinking like that babe. Remember what the therapist said? You can't let negative thoughts invade and kick out the positive thoughts. Elijah still loves you but until he's off his break, the suits you call are Anthony and Roman. Yevgeny isn't exactly ready for that yet but he's on the card too. I know that you like Geny because he looks scary but is a real goofball."

"No. I like him because I think he's super cute." Monica shrugged. "He's my crush right now mom. I wanna marry him when I'm old enough."

"Shhh." Bri covered Monica's mouth and looked around. "I don't need your dad walking in here and hearing you say that shit. He'll have Geny banned from being around us. I actually like Geny, he stays out of trouble, he listens, he doesn't gossip. It'll be good to keep him around. So let's not rush him off because your dad came through the back door and heard something…"

"What would I hear?" Happy snuck up behind the brunettes and smirked when they jumped. "What did you two do now? Huh?"

"Jesus Christ." Bri shook her head. "How'd you get into my house? Javi did you not lock the back door after you came in from playing with Monster?"

Happy shrugged. "Yes, the door was unlocked. It's not a big deal. So, how are you two in trouble?"

"I have a crush on a boy!" Monica covered her face and shook her head. "She told me not to make a big deal about it or you'll scare the boy off."

He nodded as he lifted her off the couch. "Oh yeah? You have a crush? That's interesting, I still want to meet this kid one day Monica. I have to make sure that he's going to treat you well."

She nodded as she wrapped her arms around Happy's waist. "Yeah but it doesn't matter because he lives in Oakland and I live in Charming!" She sighed as she looked up at her dad and poked her bottom lip out. "It's a terrible fate."

He shook his head. "You're as dramatic as your mom." He smirked. "If it's meant to be, you will see him again even if it's eight years from now." He lifted her up and placed her back on the sofa next to Bri. "I came over to bug you guys."

Bri nodded as she pushed off the sofa and moved towards Happy. "Let's get you something to drink or do you want me to make you something to eat?"

He waved her off. "Stop it Brianna. I don't need anything right now and if I did, I could make it myself. I'm a big boy. Stop worrying about me. I'm good, alright?"

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "It's a bad habit. I worry and offer drinks and food." She looked up at him as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm just trying to make sure my best friend is good…"

Happy nodded. "I'm fine Brianna. Why are you even worried about me?"

"Um, because you just seem off." She shook her head. "Something seems wrong, like you're just going through the motions and you've been here so many times."

"I miss my kid. You took her from me." He shrugged as he guided the brunette into the kitchen. "Is it against the law to want to see my daughter when I'm on my way back to Oakland from the clubhouse?"

Bri shook her head. "No. I just want to check in… You still unsure about the whole wedding thing?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah but you can't tell Jacey shit Brianna. I think it's me overthinking everything because I never saw myself getting married or having kids and here I am, two kids and just a few months away from walking down the aisle. These feelings will pass. So don't worry about it, ok?"

"I'm not worried about it." She shook her head. "I'm not worried about it. I'm going to just let it ago. I promise." She nodded as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "I just wish you'd talk to her about it. That's all."

Happy huffed. "I'm done with this conversation. I'm going to go hang out with Monica a bit before I head back home to be attacked by my kids. You should relax and take a nap, you look like you haven't slept in a while."

"It's been two weeks since I've gotten a decent amount of sleep." Bri frowned. "Creed thinks it's funny to stay up all night whining."

"Go take a nap. I'll watch your brood for an hour." He pushed her towards the stairs. "I have experience, you don't have to worry about."

"Fine, fine." Bri nodded. "Wake me up if anything. There's one bottle already made in the fridge. He switches between the source and a bottle."

"Go." Happy shook his head. "I got this. Don't worry."

 **.**

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"Creed." Bri yawned as she changed her son's diaper. "You're a stinky little thing. You're lucky you're so damn handsome."

"He's so handsome." Nik leaned over her sister's shoulder to smile down at her nephew. "Look at you Creed. You're my handsome little nephew." She squeezed his cheeks and smirked. "He didn't like that at all."

"What kid likes their cheeks squeezed?" Bri shook her head. "Where's my little Kajsa? You leave her with Javi?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, I did. I left them together. She saw that he had chips and wanted to be his best friend." She chuckled. "My daughter is a little fatty. She also keeps asking for Kol. Calls him Ko! Little thing is struggling with her Ls."

"Javi was the same way." She nodded as she passed Creed to Nik. "She'll get to it. Just keep saying Love you or Hello."

"I'm trying but my daughter is in love with Kol. It's so cute. She even gets jealous when he talks to Lumi." Nik chuckled as she rocked Creed. "You're the one who's going to be with Lumi huh? She's going to be your little wifey from the moment you're old enough to see her. I know it already, you want a cute little brunette on your arm."

"We really need to stop playing matchmaker with the kids in our family. I'm banking on Lumi wanting Kol because Kajsa wants Kol but that's all I'm saying." Bri chuckled and shrugged. "I need to tell you something… Raisa is coming stateside for a while. She's bringing her daughter with her."

Nik nodded slowly. "Damn, I haven't seen Raisa in years. Not since her daughter was three." She shook her head as she looked down at Creed who was now fast asleep. "She say why she's coming out here? She usually avoids the states."

"No. She just said she would be coming out and expect her to be here around Christmas, so at least she's giving us a heads up." Bri rolled her eyes. "I seen her two years ago. She popped in town on a layover and reached out, wanted to have coffee. I told her Monica and Antonina need to spend time together. Bond and stuff. They're the same age… Same pretty green eyes. You see where I'm going with this shit."

"You two talk about the Max shit or no?" Nik sighed as she lowered her nephew into his crib. "Creed has no eyebrows."

Bri shook her head. "No we haven't. It's just something I rather not talk about. You know my time with him was short and filled with nothing but misery and uncertainty." She shrugged. "Plus, how do we tell Moni and Nina that they're half sisters? It makes no sense to bring that up… It's been over ten years. They can just be cousins."

"How fucked up is our family?" Nik shook her head as she watched her daughter toddle towards her. "Kajsa baby, your family is nothing but insanity. I hope we get better as you grow up."

"I have no clue. Fucked up more than most." The brunette dropped to the carpeted floor and shook her head. "It's ridiculous. Sometimes it's like we're trapped in an episode of Jerry Springer mixed with a hint of Dr. Phil because the Lord knows we all need some help."

"I'm sure we all need to go to a group therapy session." Nik smiled as she looked at her sister. "Dad would get a kick out of that huh? Hearing all our issues, even though I'm sure he already knows them already."

"I think this is the first time in a long time that I've heard you call Aleksandr dad." Bri smiled. "Yeah, he pretty much knows everything unless he's out of the states. Right now, he is getting fed gossip from the Gossip Suits. Patent pending."

She laughed and nodded. "I know but sometimes he doesn't even feel like my dad. He feels more like a step dad. Like he's more of a dad to you and Jacey. Like I'm just the extra sister who got him by default. We don't have a close relationship Brianna, so sometimes he's Aleksandr, sometimes he's dad."

Bri nodded. "He's always been your dad, you just haven't needed him as much. I also took him from Russia when I was fourteen and was shipped off to New York to get an American education for a measly five years. I'm sorry."

Nik shrugged. "It's alright. I mean, our dad treated me pretty well. I also had Aleksandr when he was around for that small amount of time. I honestly didn't even remember him all that much until I came back to the states. I mean, I was like nine when he left. He was always _yours_. It just kinda stung when I saw how much more of a dad he is to Jacey than he is to me. It was kind of a jealous thing for a minute. Can we please change the subject?"

"Yeah." Bri scooted towards the pair of blondes and smiled. "How about we plan some kind of play date for all of us? I'm talking the _entire_ family, around the time Raisa comes to town with Nina. We can make it just a Hohrykova thing. Shit, we can also start planning your wedding bitch." She grabbed Nik's hand and tapped on the huge diamond that sat on her ring finger. "I know you haven't wanted to make a deal about Anthony proposing but I think we should start planning a wedding, get into the spirit of marrying you off to the love of your life. Me getting in shape to be your maid of honor. See, this is a fun conversation. I already see Kajsa in the most perfect flower girl dress, being pulled in a wagon by Javi. Ugh, yes, this needs to happen."

"You're insane but yes, we can start planning my wedding Brianna. I was going to ask you if you'd come dress shopping with me next weekend. You can still try on dresses and they'll do the tailoring when you're back to your pre baby body." Nik smiled at her sister. "Go crazy with all of this but let's try to be on the same page. Also, no red. I don't want my wedding looking like a fucking candy cane."

"Whatever. I wasn't going to suggest red." Bri smirked as she pulled her sister down into a laying position and kissed her face. "I promise you now that I won't go crazy with the plans. I'm just going to live vicariously through you and you're going to have to deal with that." She nodded. "I love you Nikola. I'm going to make sure you have the most perfect wedding day ever."


	37. Romance&Positivity

**July 10, 2013**

"Monica!" Javier shouted through the house as he held his stuffed dinosaur Dino under his arm. "Monica!"

"Yeah?" Monica rounded the corner and looked at her younger brother. "What's wrong?"

"Dino is sick. Had too much candy!" He held Dino out to her and frowned. "Can you fix him Monica? I'm worried about him."

She nodded as she accepted Dino and started towards her mom's office. "I'm sure mom has something we can check him out with in her office." She opened the door and walked in. "I'll fix him though Javi."

"Thank you." He nodded as he watched his older sister set Dino on the desk before grabbing a box from the shelf. "What's in there?"

"It's a First Aid kit. It has bandaids, medicine, stuff to fix you if you ever get a scrape on your knee or a cut. It also has this." She held up a bottle of Pepto Bismol. "It'll make his stomach stop hurting. He just needs to drink a little of it. Come sit on the desk and hold him, I'll give him some." She nodded as she helped her brother onto the desk. "It tastes like bubble gum so he won't hate it."

"Ok." He nodded as he held Dino tightly to his chest as he watched Monica tip the bottle to the stuffed animal's mouth. "Will it work fast? I need him to be better Moni."

"Yes! He'll start feeling better in like ten minutes. Make sure you just take a nap with him and cuddle up to him." Monica took a step back before smiling. "There, if he still feels bad later, find me and we can give him a little more."

Javier smiled widely as he looked between Dino and his sister. "Thank you! I love you Monica!" He slid off the desk and hugged her tightly. "Thank you! I'm going to go cuddle with him right now. Dino did you hear that? Monica fixe you, you're going to make it! You won't have to go to the hospital now or mom's clinic."

"All in a day's work." Monica trailed her fingers through her hair before moving behind her brother out of the office, closing the door before she shuffled towards the living room. "Hey Aunt Neek!"

Nik smiled at her niece. "Hey big eyes, what're you up to? I thought for sure you'd be off in town taking pictures or some shit. Or can you not walk around Charming on your own?"

"I am not allowed to be on my own." She shook her head as she sat down on the floor next to her cousin Kajsa. "I've been in town with my dad though and Jax too. It's cute to take pictures of, the main street part." She nodded as she picked up Kajsa. "You're the cutest thing ever."

"Don't give her a big head." Nik shook her head. "She's a sucker for compliments, she's so conceited already. Reminds me of your mom."

"She's pretty perfect." Monica nodded as she balanced Kajsa on her knees. "She's still so tiny though, it's cute." She pressed a kiss to the toddler's forehead and smiled. "It's alright Kaj, I'll keep complimenting you, gorgeous."

"You're gonna have to keep her if she gets worse." The blonde shook her head. "So, I have something to ask you. It's _very_ important." She smiled at her niece. "I want to know if you'll be down to be a bridesmaid in my wedding. I know you're pretty young but I think you're too mature to be a flower girl and your mom and dad have already told me you could be a bridesmaid, it's not up to you."

"Yes!" Monica nodded eagerly. "Yes, I'll be your bridesmaid! I can't believe I get to be apart of another wedding. This is exciting. Kajsa, did you hear that? I get to be mature and be a _bridesmaid_. You're not letting mom pick the dresses right?"

Nik laughed and shook her head. "No, I'm not letting her pick the dresses." She smiled at the brunette. "You can pick out your own dress my love."

"Awesome." Monica smiled. "I can't wait. I gotta go start looking online at dresses. I'll see you later Aunt Neek. I'm taking Kajsa with me. I need her opinion."

"Have fun. If she gets fussy, let me know." Nik nodded. "I'll be right here taking a nap."

 **July 30, 2013**

"Blah!" Bri shook her head as she twisted the delicate gold rings on her fingers as she moved about her kitchen. Her mind wandering off as she waited for the oven timer to go off and let her know that her cupcakes were finished and ready to cool down so she could bake them. "The worst part of cooking and baking is the waiting process."

"Tell me about it." Javier shook his head as he looked up from his little brother. "How come he doesn't have teeth? Are they just gonna come in when he's older? I have teeth."

The brunette laughed. "He'd look pretty funny if he had a full mouth of teeth right now. He'll start getting teeth in a few months."

"Oh." He nodded as he watched his baby brother start to look towards their mom. "I think he wants you."

Bri nodded as she moved towards the pair and picked up her youngest son. "I could really use about two more boys in my life. Could you stand to have two more little brothers Javier?"

"He probably could but I couldn't." Jax shook his head. "I don't want any more kids anytime soon. So, let the baby fever go somewhere else Brianna."

The brunette nodded as she looked up from her sons and at her boyfriend. "I know… It was just a thought. I know we're not having anymore kids anytime soon or even if we'll end up having any more down the line." She shrugged as she looked at Javier. "Go find Monica and I'll call you back down when the cupcakes are ready to be decorated."

"Ok!" Javi nodded as he kissed his mom before kissing Creed's forehead. "Bye Creed!"

Bri looked back at Jax. "We should look into tubal ligation. It's not that invasive and it'll prevent any slip ups from happening." She sighed as she trailed her fingers through Creed's hair and smiled at the baby. "You're just the most handsome little baby boy ever."

"You're being dramatic." Jax shook his head. "We just need to use condoms and birth control for you. No being careless about it Brianna. That's all I'm trying to say here. I'm not asking you to go to some measure of where you get your tubes tied and can never have kids again for real. I'm just saying as a couple, we need to be more careful."

She nodded. "I'm just trying to make you happy here Jax." She shrugged as she jumped at the sound of the oven going off. "Here, take him. I need to get the cupcakes. Apparently Javier is going to decorate them for Camryn. He's so head over heels in love with her. It's so damn perfect. Young and innocent love." She moved to the oven and pulled the cupcakes out, setting the pan on the cooling rack. "I made some extras. I'm too fat not to have made myself some too."

He nodded as he sat on the counter and looked down at his son. "They're cute together. I'll give them that much."

"Beyond cute." Bri murmured as she started setting out icing, sprinkles, candy and plastic diamond rings. "He's giving her a bracelet. It's the most delicate gold bangle we could design. Well, he designed it. Told them it had to say Camryn in cursive. It's perfection." She held up the box and showed it to Jax. "My baby boy is more romantic than some men I've had the displeasure of meeting in my life."

"Stop being like that babe." Jax shook his head as he eyed the brunette carefully. "I know you're all sad about the baby thing but we just had Creed, the last thing we need is to have more kids before he's ready to go to school."

"Five years and then you'll consider more kids huh?" Bri nodded as she tapped her fingers on the granite countertop of the island. "Alright. I guess I can deal with waiting that long." She flashed him a small smile. "I want to take a shower. Can you watch him a little while longer or do you need to be at the clubhouse babe?"

He nodded. "I can watch him. I don't need to be at the clubhouse anytime soon." He smiled as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the brunette's lips. "Love you."

"I know. I love you too." Bri nodded and smiled. "I'll make this shower quick. I should be cleaned and dressed by the time the cupcakes are cooled down."

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Bri laughed as she watched Javier delicately place each and every cupcake into a carrying container. "Baby boy, you've got the delicate touch of a surgeon and the patience of a nurse. You can manhandle the cupcakes. Cam will still love them ." She smiled as she looked down at him before biting into a cupcake. "You did good with picking this flavor out."

"I don't want any of them messed up." Javier shook his head as he placed the last cupcake into the container before closing the lid softly. "I want them to be perfect when I give them to my Cam. She said the other day that she wanted cupcakes, so I'm going to take these to her. Igor is coming to pick me up to take me to see her."

"You're so romantic to your wife." Bri nodded. "One day I wanna be treated the way you treat Camryn."

He nodded as he looked at his mom. "You will be mom. I promise. I love you so much."

"I know, I love you too baby." She smiled at him. "Your wife is a very lucky woman. I hope that she knows that. She's going to love that bracelet and the cupcakes."

"Someone called for a ride." Igor walked into the kitchen and straight to Javier, lifting the four year old off the ground. "I am ready whenever you are Javi."

Javier giggled as Igor tossed him in the air. "I'm ready Iggy! I'm ready to surprise my girl." He nodded as he was slowly set back onto his feet. "She's going to love it all."

"I'll have him back at a reasonable time." Igor smiled at Bri. "Enjoy the time with your other two babies Bri."

She nodded. "I'm going to just be with Creed. Monica is pff with Nik, Kaj and Anthony." She smiled. "It'll be me and my little blonde baby boy until his dad is home later tonight. Make sure they don't eat too many cupcakes. I don't need my baby getting sick."

"Mom! I'm not a baby." Javier shook his head and huffed. "I'm a big boy. I have a wife!"

"Well, I'm sorry." Bri nodded as she dropped to the four year old's level. "You're a big boy. Practically a grown man. You make me so proud. Have fun spoiling Camryn. I know she's going to love the cupcakes and the bracelet my love. Give me a hug and a kiss and I'll let you go."

He flashed her a goofy smile before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. "I love you mom. I'll see you tomorrow! Have fun with my brother and Jax. Ok? If you need me home early just call Iggy!"

"You're the best." She smiled as she stood back up. "Both of you go before I decide to keep you both here with me. Have fun." She sat back on the counter as she watched the pair leave before she picked up the baby monitor and fiddled with the buttons before speaking into it. "I love you Creed, it's just you and me."

"And me." Aleksandr smirked at his daughter. "I walked in when Javier and Igor were walking out. I came to see you, check and see how you're doing with everything."

"Honestly?" Bri looked up at him and shrugged. "I still love this house, love my little Creed. I just don't love the fact that we've kinda been put on the back burner with Jax. I don't know if it just seems like he's always gone or if it's actually reality. It just feels like he was around more when we lived in Oakland." She sighed. "Don't worry, I'm going to talk to him. No need to start in on that lecture dad."

He nodded slowly. "I wasn't. I was going to actually bring up the fact that you're still hormonal and emotional. Everything to you right now is worse than it truly is. I would say to just let the hormones settle down before you get into it with Jax. He's still coming home right? Taking care of you and his child?"

"Yes he is." She nodded as she set the monitor down. "Stop being mean. You know I hate being this vulnerable and emotional dad."

"I'm not being mean." He shrugged. "I'm just keeping your ass in check before you start on a path of self destruction. You don't have to always let your mind wander to the worst case scenario. It's okay to just live in the moments and focus on everything that's positive in your life. There's no need to compare this to your last relationship either."

Bri exhaled a long breath before smiling at the man. "Shut up. Stop making valid points and shit dad." She shook her head. "You're right, as always. I'm going to try to get out of my head and stop waiting for shit to hit the fan. I kinda like being happy and thinking about all the good stuff that'll happen for us. It's finally easy for me. I don't have to put in all this damn effort to make it all work. It's just working."

"That's the spirit my dear." Aleksandr smirked at the brunette before pulling her into a tight hug. "Keep your chin up and continue to think positive. Don't let shit get you down. Don't let anything bad dampen your spirit. It's smooth sailing right now so don't be an asshole and start rocking the boat. I love you Brianna. Now, excuse me. I have a grandson to love on." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Take a nap. I can watch him for you."

She nodded as she followed after him. "I love you too. I'm going to take full advantage of this nap thing. That's for sure. Have fun with his mean ass. I'm about to bury myself in my bed." Bri smiled as they started up the stairs. "He has bottles in the fridge. You know how to warm them so I'll spare you that instruction. I love you dad. Thanks for this." She watched him move into Creed's room before she continued on to her room, falling face first onto the bed before yanking the blankets over her body. "Nothing but positive thoughts." She mumbled into the pillows as she settled in further to the bed.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, thank you for the feedback. Also, I will be advancing through the months quickly because all the good stuff doesn't happen until the beginning of 2014. so prepare for that.**


	38. Orientation&Suits

**August 28, 2013**

"I'm not ready to go to school!" Monica shook her head as she looked up at her mom. "Mom! I don't wanna go! I'm not ready for this orientation."

Bri rolled her eyes. "You look gorgeous my love. What's wrong though? Why don't you wanna go to this orientation? You get to meet your new classmates for next month. You get to take your placement tests so you know what classes and programs you get to be in. It's a very prestigious private school. Plus, you're going to look cute as all hell in your uniform."

The eleven year old nodded. "I'm nervous. What if I can't make any friends? Or worse, what if I fail all my tests? Then what?"

"You'll make friends." Bri gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "You won't fail your tests baby. This school is going to be amazing for you. You'll get to take classes like you're in middle school or high school. No sitting in one class with one teacher all damn day. If you don't make friends in first period, you have five more periods _and_ lunch to do so. You got this Monica. I have nothing but faith in you. You'll do well on your tests. Plus, all you really need in life is one solid best friend. You have to find your own Jacey."

"So, I have to let a blonde punch me in my face?" Monica smirked at her mom. "I mean, I guess if it makes me a lifetime best friend I could take the punch."

The brunette rolled her eyes and scoffed as she rubbed her daughter's nose. "You don't need to get punched in the face again my love. If you do, you'll for sure need surgery on this cute little nose of yours." She kissed her nose and smiled. "Now, finish getting ready. We have to go soon."

Monica shrugged. "Are you going to wear that?" She pointed at her mom's lab coat. "People will think I'm supposed to be a genius if you show up wearing that mom!"

"No brat. I'm not wearing it." She shook her head. "Calm down before I bust your little ass. Now, go finish getting ready while I do the same. Then we can head out since your grandpa is babysitting until we get back."

"I'm going." Monica nodded. "I'll meet you by the car."

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"Safe to say, you're the prettiest thing here." Bri murmured to her daughter. "I mean, besides me obviously."

Monica laughed and shook her head. "Mom, you're a mess."

"I know." The brunette nodded as she followed behind Monica. "I think you need to roll your shoulders back a bit. Remember, confidence is everything. You have the looks, the piercing green eyes, the outfit, now you need to find your confidence. You own this hallway. Never look down while you're walking. It's not only dangerous but it's unattractive. Even if you're having a bad day, you have to exude confidence. Like you're the Queen of this place."

The eleven year old nodded as she fixed her posture. "Like that?" She glanced back before looking ahead of her. "It feels so weird but I can probably get used to it."

"It feels weird because you've been slouching your whole life my love." Bri nodded as she steered Monica towards the check in table. "Also, embrace your accent my love. I'd kill to still have one as perfect as yours and Nik's." She smiled. "Go ahead, let them know who you are."

"Hello." Monica looked at the young woman behind the table. "I'm Monica Hohrykova."

The young woman smiled at the brunette. "Hello Miss Hohrykova, welcome to Exeter Prep. Here is your name tag, your welcome packet, a map, it's basically an essentials kit. Everything you need to know at a glance is in that packet." She nodded. "Who do you have with you checking you in today?"

Monica looked up from her name tag and back at the woman before turning around to see her mom and dad standing together. "My mom Bri and my dad Happy." She smiled proudly as she turned back to look at the young woman. "Is there a parents area? Or do we get to all stay together?"

"You get to all stay together until it's time for the placement tests which will be taken at the end of the orientation. You will also have a new student mixer tomorrow evening. It'll allow you to get to know your new peers further." The young woman smiled. "We're happy that you chose Exeter Prep and good luck with your placement tests."

She nodded before turning around and moving towards her dad. "You came!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. "I'm happy that you're here dad."

Happy smirked and shook his head. "I had to see what school you were going to kid. I wasn't going to skip out. I can't stay the entire time though. I have to get back home to Cam and Kol."

"That's fine!" Monica nodded and smiled. "Both my parents are here. It's awesome."

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded. "How much is this school a year? It looks like they just took all the rich families of Charming and dropped their kids here. See that brunette over there? That's Tristan Oswald, she's older than you but she's good people. She has to be about a senior or something right now. What grades are even at this school Brianna?"

"It's not gonna cost you anything. You can pay for any trips or sports she decides to take up Hap." Bri shook her head. "Don't try to put our baby girl with an older group. It's grades sixth to twelfth. She tested out of fifth, remember?"

Happy rolled his eyes. "I can help pay for it Brianna. She's my kid too. I was just pointing out the daughter of the richest man in Charming." He adjusted his kutte and shrugged. "I remember. I do pay attention to her and to you when you start talking. I'm proud of her."

"She earned scholarships Happy. It doesn't cost us anything." Bri shrugged as she watched Monica laugh with a group of girls. "She's being a social butterfly. I'm so proud of her. Even though this morning, she tried to come here wearing eyeliner and lipstick. I shut it down quickly."

He shook his head and smiled. "My kid got a scholarship for being a smart ass?" He nodded. "Good, she needs friends. She doesn't need to end up like you Brianna." He smirked at the brunette. "It's your fault that she wants to wear all that junk. You had put lipstick on her a few times when we first met."

"Monica is gorgeous, she was six and wanted red lips so I obliged. Plus, it's nearly every mom's dream to put some lipstick on their daughter." Bri shrugged as she looked up at Happy. "Just wait until she's a teen and can actually get away with wearing eyeliner and lipstick. You'd happily wish for the days where she was eleven and into makeup for fun instead of makeup to make her look old enough to get into a club."

"Shut it." Happy shook his head. "She's not going to be a little slut like you. I'll beat her little ass. I don't care how old she gets." He watched Monica carefully and sighed. "She needs to stop getting older. I'm not even ready for what comes next…"

"No parent is ever ready for it." Bri shook her head. "All we can do is raise her right and hope for the best."

 **September 17, 2013**

"I swear. Roman is the most incompetent son of a bitch that I know." Bri gritted as she pulled up to Javier's school. "I will kill him." She nodded as she threw her car into park and got out of it, rushing to her son who was standing next to a few kids and his teacher. "I'm sorry about this. I don't know why his Uncle didn't pick him up. Javi are you ok?"

"Yes." Javi nodded and smiled as he grabbed his mom's hand. "We got leftover snacks! I didn't mind waiting mama." He shook his head as he looked up at her. "I saved you a cookie. It's in my backpack."

"Thank you handsome." Bri lifted Javier off the ground before turning her attention back onto his teacher. "Here. I know you guys don't usually get tips or whatever but I figured you could use it for school supplies if you feel guilty about pocketing it for yourself."

"Thank you." The woman looked at the roll of cash. "I will definitely put this to good use .Thank you Dr. Hohrykova."

"Yeah, just call me Bri." She nodded. "Have a good one and hopefully I'll have a better Uncle start picking him up. Come on Javi. You get to listen to me cuss Elijah out." She murmured as she started back to her car and quickly buckling her son into his seat. "There, now, I have to yell at Elijah.

Bri slid into the driver's seat and quickly dialed Elijah's number, rolling her eyes as she was sent to voicemail. "Elijah, I don't know why you ignored my call but you need to get your brother in fucking line or send Igor or Frey to me. I'm done with Roman. You can keep his lame ass. Call me back by tonight. _Or else_ "

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"All of this is bullshit." Bri tossed a handful of popcorn at her TV. "Huh Creed? This is terrible! Why is this team even in the league still? We need to see if we can't buy our own football team one of these days. I'd love to own the Raiders, just to say I do."

"Already teaching him how to brag?" Anthony sat down next to Bri and took Creed out of her arms. "Don't listen to your mom. She's nothing but bad news." He smirked. "You've turned my future wife into a wedding planning nutcase Brianna. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome." The brunette nodded. "I told her since I can't plan a wedding of my own that I'll plan hers for her but she took over." She shrugged her shoulders as she started flipping through channels. "It's an understatement to say that I'm jealous of my little sisters these days."

"Your time will come." He nodded. "Then you'll be the crazy one. I mean, the crazier one. You're pretty crazy already sis."

She smiled and shrugged. "I'm not holding my breath on anything Anthony. I'm far from wife material these days. I mean, I'm just not able to picture myself as a bride anymore. It's something that has just left me all together. I used to be able to sit for hours and plan out every last detail of my dream wedding… Now when I try to do it. I just don't see it happening at all to be honest." She shrugged again as she trained her eyes on the TV. "I'm just happy being able to see the blondes get married though. I'm happy for them both."

"I'm sure you'll end up married." Anthony flicked her ear and grinned. "Here, take him back. I have to check on a few things but I'll be back to sit with you guys. You okay with that plan Bri?"

"Uh yeah." She nodded as she stopped a baby cartoon. "We'll be here learning how to count in French and German. I'll see you later Anthony. Drive safe, can't have anything happening to you. So, be safe and I won't have to get mad at you if you get hurt."

He kissed the top of her head and smiled. "I'll be careful. I think Nik would find a way to strangle my ghost if something bad happened to me because I wasn't careful. Creed, keep your mom's ass in line. She's trying to slip into a blue state but pull her out of it man. Like I said I'll be back later, if you need me then call. We're brother and sister now, don't hesitate to pick up your phone and call me. You understand?"

"Yes." Bri smiled as she laid on the sofa and rested her son Creed on her chest. "Go before I try to keep you here. Handle your business then come back and sit with me until Nik and the babies all get back."

Anthony gave the brunette a single nod. "I'll be back. Don't do anything you'd normally do. There's no one around here to save you if shit goes sideways."

Bri rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. We're going to be napping. I won't get into any trouble. I promise." She smiled as she looked down at Creed and smiled as she noticed him sucking on his fist as he drifted off to sleep. "See, he's getting a head start to his nap. I'll see you later. Don't wake us up either if we're still sleep when you get home." She flashed a grin at the man before closing her eyes again, trying to will her imagination to set up a scenario for her wedding before she dozed off to sleep. "Fuck it. Let's just give me my usual dream…" She mumbled to herself as she settled further into the sofa, slowly drifting off to sleep.


	39. Emotional

**October 29, 2013**

Bri looked around her office and groaned. Gone was her once pristine space. It had been replaced by toys, pack n plays and various art supplies. She had gone from having the ability to leave her children at home attended at any given moment to having to call Yevgeny away from training to look after the kids. "You guys have made a big mess of my office." She shook her head as she looked between her laptop and Creed who was asleep in his bassinet beside her desk. "At least you're not messy like your brother and sister."

"We're making art." Javier looked at his mom, his brown eyes narrowing at the brunette. "We're not going to leave it like this. We will clean up." He nodded before looking at Monica. "Back me up here Monica!"

"Mom, we will clean it all up." Monica nodded as she looked at her mom. "I promise. We won't leave your office like this."

"You better not." She shook her head. "I just needed Jax to watch you guys today. Shit, I needed Yevgeny to watch you three." She sighed as she closed her laptop. "I think I may have to sell the clinic… It's way too much for me these days." She rubbed her forehead before rubbing at her eyes briefly. "This is finished. Let's clean up and go home. I'm over work."

"Mom." Monica shook her head. "Don't cry! I don't like it when you cry. We're cleaning up. See? Just don't be sad ok? Just call grandpa."

"I'm fine." Bri nodded as she looked up at her daughter. "I just shouldn't have come into work today. We should've stayed home and just been lazy little things." She stood up slowly and walked around her desk. "Let's start packing up everything, so we can get home. I need to get into some sweats and just cuddle you three."

"You sure?" The brunette eyed her mom carefully for a moment before nodding her head slowly. "Ok. Come on Javi, let's get this packed up so we can go cuddle mom."

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"Dad, I basically had an emotional breakdown today…" Bri sighed as she spoke into the phone, her eyes glossing over as she stared out the window at her boyfriend who was working on his bike in the driveway. "In front of the kids…"

" _Brianna, I'm going to tell you this again, stop trying to work. You need to relax for a few months. That's why you have other doctors under you, so you can take the time off that you need and not overwhelm yourself"_

"I know dad." She nodded slowly. "I just needed to run into the office for an hour and there was literally no one around here today to watch the kids so I took them with me and an hour turned into two then slowly turned into three." She shook her head. "I am thinking of just becoming an on call doctor, not taking any new patients and just go in after my maternity leave is really up."

" _My dear, you really need to just take it easy. I think there are times when you're dumb as hell and don't think things through. Having no one around to babysit is a sign not to go into work and stress out. You need to just relax. You need to focus on being a mom and taking care of your kids. Your job will be there waiting for you. You do own the clinic after all. Do I need to come over and beat your ass?"_

"No dad. You don't need to beat my ass. I realized that I shouldn't have tried to go in and do work." She looked up at the sound of Jax walking into the house. "I have to go though. I love you dad and I'll keep you updated on my neverending stupidity."

" _I love you too_. _Relax and ask for help next time. Call me directly."_

"I will." She murmured before ending the call and tossing her phone onto the coffee table as she settled further into the plush microfiber couch. "How's working on the bike going?"

"It's going." Jax looked at his girlfriend before furrowing his brow. "Babe, you look beat as hell. What's wrong? Still having trouble sleeping while Creed is down for his nap?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine besides nearly having an emotional breakdown in front of my kids because my dumbass decided it'd be fine to take them with me while I tried to get work done. It was a bad idea. I cried the entire way home." She shrugged as she covered her face with a pillow and sighed. "I'm one of those moms who can't balance kids and work. It has to be one or the other and never the both at the same time."

"I think you're being dramatic." He pulled the pillow away from her and shook his head. "You're not supposed to be working. You heard your doctor Bri, it's not an ideal situation for you. You're not emotionally ready to handle that type of stress just yet. The doctor didn't tell you all of that shit just for you to ignore. She told you all of that because it's _important_. That means you need to listen to her instructions and take it easy. Be lazy around the house with Creed, Monica and Javier. It's the best thing for you until everything is under control again."

Bri nodded as she sat up slowly and turned to look at Jax. "Jax, I've _never_ in my life been this depressed and incapable of handling multiple stressors at once. This is all foreign to me. You know I like to go and go and go, just nonstop all day, _everyday_." She shook her head as she watched him take a seat next to her. "This just sucks."

"Yeah, I know it sucks. The doctor told you it would." He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her forehead. "So, you just need to fucking focus on getting better. Going into work isn't going to help. You need to take it easy, maybe send a few emails when you have down time. Nothing more than that. I will call your dad and have him lecture you further about this shit."

"I just want my hormones to go back to normal." She sighed as she buried her face in his neck and inhaled sharply. "You smell like oil and sweat Jax."

"You'll be good soon, it's barely been over four months babe." He shook his head and chuckled. "I am aware of what I smell like. I had planned to come in and shower before we cuddled up like this but I couldn't just ignore you when you were looking so damn beat Brianna. You want to join me in the shower? You're smelling a little ripe too." He laughed as he felt her pull his hair loose from his bun. "I'll take that as a yes."

"I don't smell ripe!" She sniffed her armpit and shrugged. "But I'll take a shower with you Jax."

He nodded as he turned her around so she was straddling his lap before he pushed off the sofa and grabbed the baby monitor. "We'll hear if he wakes up. The other two practically take care of themselves."

Bri nodded slowly as she wrapped her legs tightly around Jax as he stalked out of the living room and towards the staircase. "I love you Jax."

"I love you too Bri." He rubbed her hips as he entered their master suite and ambled directly into the bathroom, setting the brunette down on the sink before he he reached around and started the shower. "This will relax you and you'll go right to sleep. I'll watch after the three little monsters while you nap and recharge. I really hate seeing you like this but I know it'll improve with time."

"I'm too tired to even fight you on this. I'm going to take you up on that offer and nap until I cannot nap anymore." She pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the hamper before she slid off the sink and pushed her panties and sweats down her legs before kicking them in the general direction of the hamper. "I'll wash your hair if you wash mine."

"Good, you need to and that way I won't have to slip you one of Tig's vitamins." He smacked her ass as she walked into the shower before him. "I'm sure you heard that story from Juice. Took _vitamins_ woke up dressed like a baby in front of the police station."

She laughed. "He did tell me that. I really would like one of these vitamins if they'll knock me out for a day or at least half of a day."

"See, you're getting more relaxed already." He positioned them so they were both under the water. "You need to be light and laugh more often." He brushed her hair out of her face and smiled down at her. "I hate seeing you sad, I never really know what to do in the situation Brianna. I just wing it."

"That's basically what everyone does when I'm sad. They wing it and hope for the best." Bri nodded as she rested her hands on Jax's hips and smiled. "You're starting to smell better already babe."

"I'm pretty sure I can't take credit for that, it's those stupid aromatherapy pods that you love to leave all over the floor of the shower." He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. "Let's just stay like this and enjoy the shower and the smell of _vanilla lavender._ "

"Oh shut it." Bri laughed and shook her head. "You act like you hate the smell but you never toss them out of the shower." She pulled away from him and grabbed his body wash and a washcloth. "Just relax, I'm going to make sure you get squeaky clean."

He shook his head as he backed her up against the wall and lifted her up, hooking her legs around his waist. "I have something else in mind…" He smirked up at her as he pushed into her with one quick motion. "You'll really be able to nap after this babe." He kissed her lips roughly as he felt her nails dig into his shoulders. "Just enjoy it babe. I'm going to do all the work…"

 **November 6, 2013**

"Jax, stop it." Bri shook her head as she pushed her boyfriend's head away from her neck as she felt his hands fiddling with the waistband of her shorts. "I thought you said we needed to be careful and I know for a fact that we're out of condoms."

Jax shrugged as he continued to suck on Bri's neck, his hands dipping further into her shorts. "One time won't hurt babe. You're on the pill."

She rolled her eyes. "It only takes one time… Plus, you lectured me about us only having protected sex and here we are, having sex _again_ without a condom." She shook her head as she let out a low moan as she felt his fingers move up and down her folds. "Ok, fuck it but if you knock me up, it's all on you babe."

He nodded as he pulled her shorts down her legs and looked down at her before catching her lips in a soft kiss. "That's a big _if_. I'm not worried about you getting knocked up right now Brianna." He shook his head as he spread her legs with his knee. "Just lay back and enjoy yourself because I know that I will."

 **November 24, 2013**

"Why can't I go kill him?" Bri looked at her dad as she set out an array of guns on the hood of her car. "I have every right to kill him. I don't even care right now. The kids will miss him for a bit but they'll eventually stop asking about him. You saw what he did to my sister dad!" She smacked the car. "Why can't I just go kill Happy?"

Aleksandr shook his head as he let the brunette work through her tantrum. "Because it's not your place to kill him. I'm sure he's already dead inside from what he's done to Jacey and their family." He sighed. "You have to keep your head, you have to be there for your sister. Happy isn't important here Brianna. Jacey and the kids are. That's where you need to direct your energy to."

"I know! But fuck dad! I just want to take all her pain away… It sucks that I can't really do anything for her." She shook her head as she looked up at the man. "I want to make Happy fucking pay for that shit!"

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly. "Stop it Brianna. I need you to stop it right now." He shook his head. "You need to offer your support to Jacey. I know you want to end Happy's life but you can't do that. Think of the kids that are involved. Camryn loves that man more than anything, Kol needs a dad, a role model even if Happy did pull this shit, Kol still needs him, Monica… Do I even need to remind you of how important Happy is to that little girl? You have to think about them and keep your anger in check."

She nodded slowly as she picked up her glock and cocked it. "I'll keep my anger in check. Just take all the guns and lock them away. This is my entire arsenal I usually keep locked up at the house. I thought it'd be best for me to bring them to you and have you keep them until I simmer completely down."

"I'll take them all." Aleksandr nodded slowly as he took the gun from the brunette's hand and checked it before setting it back onto the hood of the car. "Just go home and relax Brianna. You can always yell at the man but it's guaranteed that he already feels like shit about it. There's nothing much more that you can do to him. He's broken. He's questioning himself but at the end of the day, they just weren't meant to have the happily ever after. It just shouldn't have ended on the day of their wedding."

The brunette sighed as she sat on the hood of the car, watching her dad carefully as he started to pack away the firearms. "You're right." She rubbed her hands up and down her face as she brought her knees up to her chin. "I just need my sister to be good. I know she's strong and I know she'll bounce back from this in no time. I know that she's never going to give him another chance. He doesn't deserve it. Maybe she'll end up marrying Elijah instead."

"Jesus." He shook his head. "You went from raging about Jacey and Happy to planning a wedding for her and Elijah. You're an absolute mess my dear. Are you going to stay out here for a while?"

"I'm looking at the positives." She nodded slowly. "I am going to stay out here. I need to clear my mind. I'm going through it dad and I just need to be out here and enjoy the sand and water." She slid off the hood of the car and smiled at the man. "I love you. I will try to play nice with Happy for the kids' sake but I just hope Jacey doesn't see it as me taking sides. I'd hate for her to think that I'm siding with him when I'm not."

"Just make it clear to her, you're here for her and her alone." Aleksandr nodded as he looked down at his daughter. "You also need to open up to her and let her be there for you. You gotta let her know everything that's going on with you."

Bri shrugged as she smiled. "I will let her know and I will make sure I talk to her about everything shitty that's happening to me right now." She poked at his chest. "I'm going to sit on the beach now but don't shoot off my guns, they're my babies and I built them custom for me, so don't even think about it dad." She smirked up at him before moving down the short path to the sand, kicking her sneakers off before continuing down and onto the beach, her shoes dangling from her fingers as she searched for a spot. "Bingo." She mumbled as she sat down on a dry patch of sand, burying her toes under it as she trailed her fingers through it. "Alright, peace and quiet, work your magic."


	40. Raisa

**December 18, 2013**

"Raisa!" Bri shouted through the airport as she spotted her older sister and niece Antonina. "Over here! You guys are blind." She shook her head as she pushed towards them and caught her sister by her arm. "Damn, you guys walk really fast."

"Aunt Brianna!" Antonina through herself at the brunette and wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too gorgeous." Bri smiled down at the brunette. "Look at those gorgeous green eyes. I can't get enough of the emerald green eyes. Remind me of Monica's." She nodded as she laced her fingers with the twelve year olds. "Come on Raisa, Nina. My car if parked out front."

Raisa eyed her younger sister for a moment. "So, Nik too busy to come pick up her older sister and niece from the airport?"

Bri shrugged. "She is busy. She didn't want to bring Kajsa into the germ infested airport. She's my little germaphobe when it comes to her baby girl." She nodded as she walked towards the exit. "You're going to come to Charming to meet my family, then I have it set up so you're staying in my old home in Oakland. You'll love it there Rai."

The brunette nodded and smiled. "That sounds good to me Bri. I just need a place to freshen up a bit before I actually meet your boyfriend or whatever he is to you."

"Boyfriend." Bri rolled her eyes as she pointed to her Land Rover. "That's your chariot." She smiled as she opened up the back and helped the pair of brunettes put their luggage into the back before closing it. "Jax is my boyfriend, we have a son together. Before you even start on the smartass comments, I would think twice about it if I were you Raisa. I wouldn't want you getting road rash if you _fall_ out of this SUV."

Raisa nodded as she got into the passenger's seat and eyed her younger sister. "You look good for just having a baby a few months ago."

"Jesus." Bri shook her head as she started for the highway. "Thank you. I think I look good too." She shrugged. "I was thinking that Monica and Nina can have a sleepover or something soon, it's been years since they've actually seen each other. I'm not even sure if Monica remembers Nina."

"It was an honest compliment Brianna." Raisa nodded as she looked at her daughter. "You ever tell Monica about Max?"

"I've talked to her about him when she's asked about him but other than that no because she has a dad that she loves more than anything." Bri shrugged. "I still stand by my original statement. I don't want her knowing anything else. She's the only child Rai, do you understand me? They're cousins and nothing more." She glanced back to see her niece singing along to her ipod. "I'm _serious_."

"I understand." Raisa nodded. "I'd never say anything to your daughter about but we do need to talk more about it. Especially now that Max's will is starting to be enforced. My daughter isn't getting anything but a college fund and a small trust fund of two million dollars that'll be available to her when she's eighteen and has a high school diploma and if she ends up pregnant before eighteen, it is effectively taken away from her."

"You just want to get down to the nitty gritty already?" She shook her head. "I'm not going back to Russia just to contest a will that is ironclad Raisa. It's not going to be worth it. I am sorry that she's not getting what you think she should get but in all honesty, you did skip out of the man and keep his child away from him. You weren't the one who had to marry him Raisa. I was the one who married him, had his kid… If you would've made it to the wedding day. Everything would be yours. You just wouldn't be a Hohrykova, you'd have your little empire. Did you bring your suits to town with you? They should meet up with dad and Elijah."

"Because you have the pull to contest it. You're his widow." Raisa shook her head. "Promise me you'll think about it Brianna? I just want more for my daughter." She rolled her eyes as she looked at the brunette carefully. "Aleksandr is not my dad and you know I cannot stand Elijah. He's such a phony. He's not honorable. He's an asshole."

"I promise that I will think about it." Bri nodded as she rolled her eyes. "Elijah isn't an asshole, you're just mad because he wouldn't give you the time of the day. I mean, don't get me wrong, I tried to get him too but he's into blondes. He has a kid now though, ironically had a daughter with a crazy ass brunette chick… She's a gorgeous little thing."

"Oh, gag me." Raisa crossed her arms over her chest and groaned. "Of course Elijah would like blondes. He's an _asshole_. Now, drive faster please. I have to tinkle."

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"Hey babe." Bri wrapped her arms around Jax from behind and pressed a kiss to his bareback as they stood in their bathroom. "I'm sorry that you had to meet my crazy ass older sister Raisa earlier. I never thought she'd be in the states."

Jax nodded as he turned around to face the brunette. "She was entertaining. Especially when she started going in about the school system over here before proceeding to ask if you could enroll Nina in school with Monica… Which leads me to the question I've been dying to ask you all night. Are Monica and Nina just cousins or?"

"Half sisters, cousins. I don't know it's just fucked up. Raisa was supposed to marry Max first and got pregnant. She took off and my dad offered me up as a better option. I refer to them solely as cousins though." She shrugged. "I also want to keep it that way to be honest."

"Just had to ask. It was those eyes." He wrapped his arms around her and smirked. "At least your sister makes you look less neurotic babe. I thought you were the headcase of your family but I was entirely wrong about that." He kissed her lips and smiled. "You're gorgeous."

"Oh, I see. You think I'm gorgeous and neurotic." Bri shook her head and laughed as she laced her fingers with Jackson's. "I mean, I've been called worse, do I can actually deal with that though babe. Let's lay down though. I'm so drained from having to deal with her."

"She wasn't that bad, she's a little cold to be honest." He shrugged as he followed her out of their bathroom and to the oversized bed they shared, smiling as he saw their son Creed still fast asleep atop of his kutte. "He loves that damn thing already. If he weren't my son, I'd have to kick his ass for taking it from me."

"So when he lays on the thing it's alright but God forbid I lay on it or try it on." The brunette smirked and shook her head as she crawled into bed, lying carefully next to her son. "My sister is a piece of work though Jax. She really wants me to contest Max's will to give Nina more money but I think a college fund and two million dollars is more than enough for her. Everything else is for Monica. It's her right as his daughter and only documented heir."

"It should be illegal for you to even put it on." He shook his head as he kissed her forehead. "Why didn't she contest the will eleven years ago?"

"I'm not gonna put it on again, don't worry. Don't need you having a heart attack." She shrugged. "Because she can't contest it because technically she took off and they didn't find out that Nina was Max's until seven years ago and that's when I was like cool, yeah amend it and put her in there. So, technically I set up her trust fund, college fund and the clauses but it's not something I'm going to change. I think Monica deserves everything she's going to inherit."

Jax nodded as he looked at Bri. "Well, I'm assuming she doesn't know you made the terms then huh?"

"Nope and she can't really find out because everyone is in my pocket." Bri smirked. "Take your pretty ass to sleep though. It's two in the morning. I'm the nocturnal one, not you babe."

He shook his head and chuckled. "Yeah, says the woman who's been going to sleep before ten almost every night for the last six months. Creed wears your ass out and you both pass out and wake up early. At least he's sleeping through the night."

"Thank the lord." She smiled as she rubbed her son's back. "Him learning to sleep has been the best thing ever."

"Don't wake him up. You need your four hour nap before he wakes up hungry." Jax kissed her and smiled. "Goodnight babe."

"Night Jax." Bri yawned. "I'll see you at breakfast."

 **December 27, 2013**

"Jackson, no." Bri smacked her boyfriend's hands as she caught him trying to take the ornaments off the Christmas tree. "We don't take it down until January the first." She shook her head as she replaced each and every ornament that he had taken off the tree. "It's family tradition."

"Yeah Jax!" Javier nodded as he pushed Creed into the family room. "Tell your dad that it's _tradition_."

Jax shook his head. "How do you always have my son more than I do?" He looked at Javier before looking at Creed who was smiling as he sat in his stroller. "You're going to have to start sharing him with me. You're making me sad about life right now little man."

The four year old shrugged. "Well, I can share him with you in an hour because I have to take a nap." Javi nodded as he lifted his younger brother out of the stroller. "I'm going to make the train go around the room. Creed likes it." He set the baby on the floor and smiled.

"Oh yeah, Jax our son is trying to crawl around now." Bri smiled as she pointed to Creed who was now on his hands and knees, heading straight for the Christmas tree. "He's something else. I love him to death. I really do."

He nodded as he sat down and watched his son crawl to the tree and pull off a low hanging ornament. "He's not in on the tradition." He chuckled. "So he can pull them off and throw them but I can't place them in their containers?"

"He's a baby, you're a grown man." She grinned as she sat on the floor and pulled Javier down with her. "I'm not upset with Creed, the ornaments are shatterproof, he can toss them around the room all he wants. He has a good arm."

Jax rolled his eyes. "Creed, your mom just likes me less than you." He picked up his son and directed him away from the tree only to shake his head as the six month old turned back around and made a beeline for the tree. "At least next year, he'll be able to reach up higher."

"Don't give him any ideas." Bri shook her head as she kept her arms around her four year old. "Did you have a good day with your dad yesterday? Did he buy you everything you wanted for Christmas?"

Javier nodded. "It was awesome mom! He showed me how to fly a remote control plane! It was so epic." He flashed her wide and bright smile. "I wanna be a pilot now."

"So, you're going to enlist in the Air Force? You can fly a fighter jet." Jax smiled at Javier and nodded. "It'll be fun."

"Maybe." Javi shrugged. "I just want to be a pilot for fun Jax. I really want to work with computers like my dad does. He shows me how to use them and take them apart and put them back together so they're even better."

"I feel like I'm listening and talking to your dad right now." The man chuckled. "I think you'd be even better than your dad with computers when you're older. Maybe you can work with the club and keep our computers up to date like your dad does."

"I will think about it. It may have to wait until I finish college." Javier nodded. "I have big plans for myself Jax."

Jax nodded slowly as he looked at the four year old carefully. "Are you sure that you're actually four? You sound a lot older man."

"I'm mature for my age." He smiled. "If you two will excuse me. I have to go bug my sister before nap time."

Bri kissed Javier's cheek and smiled at him as she watched him run out of the room. "Man, I love that kid so much. He's everything. My little geek. I love it. My college boy. My tech head." She looked at her boyfriend and sighed. "We need to talk about something Jax. I rather tell you now, so it's all out in the open and you have time to process it and we can talk about it again soon if you need space after this…"

"What is it?" Jax picked up his son and set him in his lap before he turned to face Bri. "What did you do now babe?"

The brunette inhaled slowly before letting out the breath. "Your little partner in crime Monica… She has a crush on Yevgeny. How you want to handle that is up to you but I just thought I'd let you know because of how protective you seem to be over Monica."

He nodded slowly. "I'll kill him." He laughed and shook his head. "I know she has a crush on him. She's my babygirl, she tells me things when we go for rides into town Brianna. You had me thinking you were about to tell me you're pregnant."

She shook her head and laughed. "No! I'm not pregnant." Bri poked at Creed's chubby cheeks as he slobbered all over his dad's thumb. "I can't believe she told you about it. She hasn't told Happy about it because he'd actually kill the kid or try to keep him from being around but Yev is the best babysitter to Javi and Monica ever."

Jax smirked. "Good, you better not be pregnant." He grabbed her hand with his free hand and pulled her towards him. "Like I said, she's my babygirl. I love her to death and I alway let her know she can talk to me about anything she can't talk to you or Hap about." He smirked at the brunette and shrugged. "We have secrets babe."

She looked at the man and shook her head. "You need to tell me right now. Tell me _everything_."

"Not a chance in hell." He shook his head. "I told her I'd take the secrets to the grave."

"But babe." The brunette poked her bottom lip out at the man. "I wanna know…"

"I'm sorry but I can't tell you." Jax shook his head again. "I'm sorry about it babe." He kissed her and smiled. "I'm sure she'll share the secrets with you when she's ready." He nodded and grinned. "Just focus on this moment though right now. The three of us relaxing together. It's the perfect way to end the day."

Bri nodded as she leaned against Jax and sighed. "You're right. She'll eventually tell me whatever she told you. I am relaxed though." She poked at her stomach and shook her head. "I still can't believe you thought I was pregnant… That's not happening anytime soon."


	41. Nik & Raisa

**January 16, 2014**

"What are we doing?" Nik looked at Anthony before looking down at their one year old daughter Kajsa. "She's everything right now. I love her and that God awful pacifier that you bought for her."

Anthony nodded as he looked at the blonde and grinned. "Leave her and her binky alone. She loves that thing so much." He pointed towards a store and shrugged. "You're helping me pick out a tux for the wedding. I'm well versed in suits but I can't say that I've worn a tuxedo before babe. It'll be something fun. Plus, I thought it'd be a good family thing."

The blonde nodded as she lifted Kajsa up and settled her on her hip. "We get to make daddy look like a penguin Kaj. Can you say penguin?"

Kajsa pulled the pacifier from her mouth and shook her head. "Dad!" She held her arm out to the man before looking up at her mom. "Mama."

"Oh, so you wanna leave me for your big headed dad?" The blonde shook her head as she passed off her daughter to her fiance and sighed. "She's a daddy's little girl for sure." She grinned proudly as they crossed the street to the store. "She's going to soak the front of your shirt if you don't put the binky back in."

He shrugged as he held his daughter above his head and smirked up at her. "I don't care if she slobbers all over me babe. I love her." He pulled open the door and watched Nik walk in a bit before he reached forward and pinched her ass. "You know I'm about that booty girl."

Nik laughed and shook her head. "You're an idiot. I love you." She turned around and kissed him. "You know what color you want? A white or black tux?"

"Since you're the bride, I'm letting you wear white." He moved further into the store. "I asked Elijah to be my best man and he obliged." He ran his hands over his daughter's hair before setting her onto her feet. "Don't cause too much hell Kajsa."

"Bye dad!" Kajsa waved at the man before taking off towards a row of mannequins.

"She's going to get kicked out." She shook her head. "The brat didn't even tell me goodbye. It's upsetting really, it is."

"I'm getting a black tux, royal purple accents, since those are our wedding colors. Officially right?" He looked at her before pointing to a tux. "You'd hate me if I wore a zoot suit to the ceremony?"

"It depends, are you going to have a line of lowriders behind you at the wedding?" She smirked as she caught her daughter as she tried to run past. "Slow it down my love. I don't need you getting hurt."

Anthony laughed. "No. I wore one to my prom though. I was fly as hell." He nodded as he continued looking around the store. "Look baby, they have some wedding trinkets. Veils and tiaras."

"Don't tempt me because you know I'll buy a veil and ten tiaras Ant." Nik shook her head as she watched their daughter wrap around his left leg. "She's very attached to you today. I think I'll get her a tiara though. She's our little princess."

"Who's all in your bridal court, party, thing?" He lifted up his daughter and set her on the counter as a saleswoman walked their way. "I know Bri and Monica."

"How could you forget my baby Jacey? She's going to be in my court, I just need to visit her and ask her. Also see if she'll help me strangle Raisa." Nik shrugged as she smiled at the woman. "I was going to ask Raisa but then she pissed me off with her little remarks about adoption like it's such a horrible thing. I think I'll ask a few of my friends from the club. Nothing says classy like strippers as bridesmaids. We're going to look at some tiaras but I do need him to pick a tux and be fitted that way we have a general idea of what his groomsmen are going to wear to compliment him."

"Congratulations on the impending nuptials." The woman smiled at the couple. "Your daughter is gorgeous!"

"Thank you!" Kajsa smiled at the woman. "Hi!"

"She's also a little social butterfly." Nik smiled. "Our little outgoing princess. The tiara is actually for her. She has her flower girl dress already. So, I want to see that gorgeous flower crown tiara. I think it'll suit her perfectly."

"Here it is." The woman placed it on Kajsa's head and smiled. "I think she likes it."

"I agree." Anthony smiled at his daughter as he took a picture. "There it is. My little princess and her flower crown. She's a little flower child anyway, free spirited already. We'll take it. I don't even need to know the price, she loves it, it looks gorgeous on her. Now we just have to find me a tux. I wear suits for a living, so I'm familiar with them but not exactly a tuxedo."

"You're in good hands. I can get you the best tux for your big day." She nodded and smiled at the couple. "Just follow me."

"Come on my little hippy, let's follow after daddy and compliment him." Nik lifted her daughter off the counter and rested her against her chest. "You're everything to me Kajsa, I hope you can feel that."

 **January 23, 2014**

Bri smiled as she pulled into the driveway of the Fortress. Her home away from her new home in Charming. She was on a mission, introduce her older sister Raisa, to her younger sister Jacey. Since the two women were now neighbors but have still yet to meet. She shifted her car into park before getting out and quickly opening the back door, slowly slipping Creed out of his carseat and cradling him to her chest.

Her heels clicked on the paved driveway as she walked to the front door, pressing the doorbell once before letting herself into her home. "Raisa! I'm here!" She sighed, inhaling the familiar scent of vanilla, leather, acrylic paint and roses as a flood of memories played through her mind as she saw her older sister stomp down the stairs. "Hey sleeping beauty."

Raisa looked at Bri and smiled as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "I had a long night. Apparently our daughters think it's acceptable to play music loudly until three in the morning. I went to go tell them to turn it off and found them sleeping, not a care in the world as the music blasted."

"Ah, gotta love being young." Bri chuckled. "I'm here to take you next door to meet Jacey. Since you two are new neighbors for the time being."

"Let me splash some water on my face." The brunette nodded. "You remember Arseny right, he's around here somewhere."

Bri nodded. "Yes, I remember Arseny!" She smiled widely. "Arseny! Arseny! Arson! Arson!"

"Don't call me that." Arseny looked at Bri and grinned. "Long time no see little one. Come, come bring it in for a hug!"

"I know." She moved towards him, wrapping her free arm around the tall man. "Man, you still look young as hell Arseny. Oh, that reminds me. Guess who's now in my camp? Your little brother Yevgeny. He's being trained by Elijah right now when Elijah has the time. You know he's a daddy and step daddy now?"

"I heard." The man nodded. "I always knew Elijah would end up with kids and a wife."

"They're not married just yet but I have high hopes for them." She smirked. "It's awesome though. I'm happy for him, he's with my younger sister Jacey. You haven't met her yet either. She's my sister from another mister but we're as close as Nik and I are. She even calls Aleksandr dad."

"Hey, I'm ready." Raisa looked at the pair. "Sorry to cut the reunion short but you may resume it when we come back. The girls are still asleep Arseny. So, just listen out for them. If they say they're hungry, tell them to there's bagels and other various breakfast foods in the fridge and pantry."

Bri smiled at the man. "Stop by sometime. I know my dad would love to see you Arseny. If you haven't already seen him." She followed after her sister. "Man, you got the next best suit besides Aleksandr."

The brunette nodded. "He's awesome. He's been nothing short of amazing to myself and Nina." She walked out of the gate before pausing. "You think Jacey will like me?"

"Yeah unless you give her a reason not to." Bri shrugged as she adjusted Creed on her side and smiled as she continued up the sidewalk to Jacey's house. "I can't wait for my sisters to meet. This is exciting."

"I guess." Raisa sighed as she moved behind Bri, watching the brunette press the doorbell rapidly. "Jesus Christ Brianna, don't do that."

Bri shrugged again as she rocked back and forth, waiting for someone to answer the door. "It's what I do to let her know that it's me outside and not anyone else."

"You wanna die don't you?" Jacey popped up behind Bri and a brunette. "Cato's home, that's it… Camryn's with Igor at Walmart and.." She waved her hand over the sleeping boy attached to her. "What's the occasion, sunshine?"

Bri turned around and smiled at the blonde. "I came to introduce you and my big sister Raisa. I know, we don't look alike. She's the _ugly one_." She smirked. "I was expecting your boo thang to answer the door with guns drawn to be honest."

"Aren't you ever so rude today? Where's your key? Use it." Jacey shook her head, smiling at the brunette. "Nice to meet you, Raisa, I'm Jacey." She nodded, a smirk on her face. "He's probably ignoring you because I warned him of your obnoxious ass love for my doorbell."

"I didn't want to let myself in and walk in on something naughty." Bri smiled. "Or he's ignoring me because I've left him over two dozen voicemails that he still hasn't replied to."

"It's nice to meet you Jacey." Raisa smiled at the blonde before looking at her sister. "Don't you love it when Bri is so giddy that she just talks nonstop?"

Jacey shook her head. "Naughty? Bri, he's not my boo thang and we don't do shit. He hangs out here. Shut up. You make me think of Gretchen from Mean Girls, trying to make fetch happen. Stop." She looked at Raisa and nodded her head. "This is all I get these days. Constant Giddy Bri."

"So, is Elijah on the market then still?" Raisa looked between the women and grinned. "That's good, I haven't been around her in so long that I'm not used to it anymore but it's slowly growing on me again."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why the hell not." She looked down at her son and nodded. "Let's go inside, I wanna put him down."

"She's joking. Raisa and Elijah hate each other." Bri followed after Jacey. "You wanna take your nephew when you put the love of my life down?"

The blonde nodded her head. "Well, I'll be sure to warn him he doesn't have to even bother getting dressed." She smirked at Bri. "Yes, that's not even a question, I've missed his handsome little face."

"He better get dressed, I don't wanna see any nipples and go blind." Bri smiled. "He's missed you too, he's trying to reach for you already."

Jacey shook her head. "No, that's a waste of time. Here, take my baby Hulk." She pressed a kiss to Creed's cheek. "Oh you chubby thing, I've missed you so much."

"He's a hefty little thing." She took Kol and grinned. "All this gorgeous hair he has. He's just handsome. You should see if he'll crawl for you. Sometimes he will and sometimes he'll just act like a lazy bum."

The blonde shook her head. "Wash his hair and watch it curl up. It's as bad as Camryn's. So gorgeous though. I love it." She kissed Creed's nose. "You know if you weren't so handsome and perfect, I'd say you look like your ugly dad. You look like me though. All this blonde hair, yep, you're so me."

"So, you're Jax's sister?" Raisa looked at the blonde and smiled. "That's awesome, did you set him and Bri up?"

Jacey looked up from Creed and smiled at Raisa, nodding her head. "In a way, yeah. I told her to fuck him and somehow they made shit serious. He was stuck on her from the moment he saw her though. It was great. He'd run his mouth so much about her. Thank God they're finally together."

"That's so cute." The brunette nodded eagerly. "So, you have a son and a daughter? I heard my nephew Javier mention Camryn about a hundred times at dinner one night. You and Bri apparently set the two up while you guys were pregnant. I thought that was the most adorable story ever."

The blonde nodded her head. "Oh yeah. There's Camryn - Javier's wife and _babe_. Then Kol who's infatuated with Kajsa. He's a dimple flashing mess when Kajsa trots into the room, same with Nik. He's a mess over Nik too." She smiled, nodding her head. "I always thought it was just a joke, I figured one of them would hate the other but when they were babies, they were attached." She shrugged.

Bri looked at Jacey from behind Raisa and rolled her eyes. _She doesn't like Kajsa_. She mouthed and shook her head. "Kajsa and Kol give me life. Like especially if you sit them next to each other, the apparent size difference is so damn cute. Like I can see them as teens, he's a towering giant and she's this little pixie standing next to him."

"Kajsa is my little pixie baby, I love her so much. She's such a cuddly thing. That's the only person Kol will share me with… Otherwise he's a glaring, growling mean ass little thing." Jacey shrugged. "He's the poster child for mama's boy."

"He's handsome, that's for sure." Raisa nodded and smiled. "I need to use the restroom, where's the nearest one?"

Jacey stood, pointing toward the foyer. "You see the bench right there? The door beside it." She smiled before sitting back down as she watched Raisa carefully. "Why do you want me to kill you so bad?"

"Why am I getting killed?" Bri looked at Jacey. "I haven't done anything yet… I just thought you'd want to meet Satan's incarnate."

The blonde shook her head. "I want to murder your parents for producing that… Jesus, I wanna slam her face into the floor just for asking about Elijah." She rolled her eyes, looking down at Creed. "I'm sorry… Welcome to the extremely violent side of your family, baby. I'll try to control myself since you're giving me that ridiculous smirk."

"Call Nik and ask her exactly what Raisa said to her. I bet you'll pull out your gun in under five seconds." Bri shook her head. "She's bitter about Elijah rejecting her… She's the type that'll hold a serious grudge."

Jacey shrugged, pulling her phone out of her bra before she pulled her gun out of her purse and set it on the coffee table away from Creed's reach. "Don't let Elijah see that… Before I make this call, what kind of shit should I expect?"

"It made Nik cry and Anthony turn a deep shade of red…" The brunette shook her head. "You know Nik hardly ever cries. She's usually just laughing."

The blonde shook her head, standing up to put Creed in the swing by her sister. "I'll come back for you, my handsome love." She looked at Bri. "How does one actually turn a tan ass man like Anthony red?! That's what I need to know." She shook her head. "No, where's Nik? Bring her to me. Let me see my baby."

"By making his wife cry and be upset." The brunette nodded. "She's at her house. I asked if she wanted to tag along and she laughed and told me not to be a dumb bitch and ask stupid questions."

Jacey shook her head again. "Tell her I miss her and my pixie."

"I will tell her." Bri nodded slowly. "So, I also need to tell you something else. Something _huge_ about why Raisa and I are just now trying to be cordial after not really talking for almost a decade."

The blonde nodded her head. "Ok, so tell me." She moved back to Creed and lifted him up. "Can I keep you? You instill the worse baby fever… Come on, let's see if Elijah is in need of a new baby in the house. You think he'll be down?" She looked up at Bri and shook her head. "Shut up now, Brianna, I put it on everything that we're not sleeping together."

"I'm betting your ass will be pregnant before or by Javier's birthday." Bri smirked. "He actually doesn't know Elijah too well. So he may cry." She shrugged. "Raisa has a twelve year old daughter, her name is Antonina but we call her Nina… She's got gorgeous green eyes and happens to be Monica's half sister. Raisa was supposed to marry Max but skipped out of Russia when she found out she was pregnant so I was forced to marry him instead."

Jacey shook her head. "Well that needs to change… Seriously though, you're making bets on me and any unborn children I might have? _Bitch_." She rolled her eyes. "You're joking, right? What a bitch."

"It does but I can't force the two of them to hang out… Yeah, I'm making bets. I'm sure Frey and Igor have bets going too wherever they are." Bri shook her head. "Nope. I wish I were joking about it."

The blonde shrugged. "I'm sure Elijah would love this handsome devil as much as he enjoys Kol's loving threats to stay away from me." She smirked. "Leave it alone, we're not sleeping together. Well we sleep together but there's no bodies - wait let's rephrase, I don't ride his dick." The blonde nodded, looking down at Creed. "That was good, right? I don't like her."

"Oh, so it's strictly missionary and doggy then?" Bri smirked at the blonde as she looked up to see her sister walking back into the room. "Creed, tell your Aunt J that she needs to have a sleepover with you."

Jacey shook her head. "No, hoe, shut up." She looked at Raisa and smiled before looking down at Creed. "You can move in if you want, I have a room for you. We can decorate it however you like, my love."

"His dad would move in right with him. Those two are the best of friends. I always catch Jax reading old Harley manuals to him." Bri laughed and shook her head. "He'll be talking about bikes before he knows his alphabets."

The blonde shrugged. "I'd kick him out. I've spent time living with Jackson and I've had enough of him for one lifetime, isn't that right handsome? We don't need any Harley manuals."

"Do you have any ideas on how to get him to talk? He never wants to talk unless I pull it out of him. He's just silent as hell." Bri shook her head. "I want a babbling baby. Like how Kol was."

Jacey shrugged, lifting Creed up to stand up on her legs. "How about you give him something to talk about? What's his most favorite thing in the world?" She made a face at Creed before looking at the brunettes. "Kol was all about seeing Hap and watching Miami Ink. He always had something to say about them."

"Javi. He'll babble all day and night to him but will not even make a noise to the rest of us. I mean, he'll occasionally try to tell his dad to shut up about Harleys though, I'm sure of it." Bri chuckled.

Jacey looked at her nephew and smirked. "Do you like your big brother? He's fun, huh?" She scrunched up her face. "Is Javi your best friend, babe?"

"Look at that smile." Bri shook her head. "He doesn't even smile that big for me. Little butthead."

The blonde smiled, pressing a kiss to her nephew's head. "Tell her mama how much you love me… Just say 'mama, she's the best.' She can handle it." She turned the baby around to face Bri. "Give him to me. I'll give him back when he's that size and he's ripping his little pull-up off, running around like a little naked banshee."

"You can keep him. He's giving me that annoying Teller smirk that you and your brother both have." Bri rolled her eyes and smiled. "Tell me why I really want to cut his hair…"

Jacey looked between Bri and Creed, shaking her head. "Tell her what you think about a haircut." She smirked at Bri. "Say no."

"Have you seen your niece? She paid Yevgeny to take her to the hair salon so she could get a weave because I wouldn't let her cut her hair into a bob, so now she is walking around with a weave Jacey. She looks cute but I like her long hair the best." Bri sighed. "Don't teach him that word. It's a naughty word."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Kill her, you don't need her anyway. Just kill her." She shook her head as she stood up and moved to the middle of the floor, sitting down. "I think it's a good word, Creed give me something here, instead of the smirk."

"She's grounded because of course I got yelled at for it." Bri shook her head as she poked at Jacey's head with her foot. "When's Elijah going to make a grand appearance? I need to give him a piece of my mind."

The blonde looked up, slapping Bri's foot. "Stop bitch… I don't know. He may be napping… Or in the gym." She shrugged her shoulders. "Aurelia should be getting back soon."

"Lazy ass asshat." Bri rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you abused my foot."

Jacey shrugged again. "It's my fault if he's asleep… We stayed up all night last night." She smiled, passing her nephew to the brunette. "Shut up, you're fine."

"So, you're keeping him from his job?" The brunette shook her head. "Shame, shame." She smiled as she stood up. "If he wakes up, tell him to call me _or else_. Like put an emphasis on _or else_. I'm going to take Raisa back next door, then Creed and I have some errands but we'll be back by before we leave Oakland."

The blonde shrugged. "I always do, I'm much more fun than his job. So whatever you wanna sass him about, give it to me because it's my fault." She nodded before leaning down to kiss Creed's cheek. "I will miss your handsome little face, babycakes."

"Jacey, tell him to do his damn job before he no longer has one." Bri shrugged. "When I call he needs to at least have the decency to call me back or send a text message. It's not like I'm asking for him to globetrot for me. I had an issue with a suit and I expected him to handle it but nope. I had to figure it out myself."

The blonde nodded her head. "I will tell him, but just know that it's all me, not him." She pressed a kiss to Bri's forehead. "I tossed his phone elsewhere so he'd give me and Aurelia, and those demons time." She shrugged.

Bri nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll see you later Jacey."

"Come here, come on." She grabbed Bri's hand and started pulling her toward the hall. "There's clearly a problem here and it needs to be dealt with."

"Um, there is not a problem." Bri shook her head. "All I need for Elijah is to return my calls and everything will be fine."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Can you at least be mad at me and not him? It's my fault."

"I'm mad at you. That's why I said Alright. I'll see you later Jacey." Bri looked at the blonde. "I'm mad at you both actually. You for tossing his phone and him not bothering to locate it. Do you know why I'm not in charge of the suits Jacey? Because I'm an emotional person, I don't know how to handle shit in a rational manner until after the fact… Do you know why dad isn't in charge of the suits? Because he knows Elijah is a better man for the job… Without Elijah, there's not an order and I'm pretty sure I sent Roman off to be murdered by Anthony… See, this is what happens when Elijah doesn't return my calls and I don't have even half an hour to drive to his house. I just now found the free time to actually run errands Jacey. My life is falling apart."

The blonde shook her head. "Ok, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have done all of that, it was irresponsible and I'm sorry. It was irresponsible of him to just let it happen. I'm sorry." She kissed Creed's head before she pushed into the room. "I'll see you later, call me if you need me."

"I love you Jacey! I'll stop by when I'm done with errands." Bri nodded. "I promise."

Jacey nodded her head. "I know you will… especially if you don't want your ass kicked. Besides, I need to see you more and you either need to be here more or at home more so I know where I have to go without having to track your phone, Brianna."

"I'm always at home. I'm still on mandatory maternity leave from the clinic because I'm apparently _depressed_ still. I do sneak into the clinic though and do work." Bri smiled. "Just tell your husband to get in touch with my dad or Anthony."

The blonde shook her head. "You're not depressed, you're _bored_ … You're just looking for a spark." She shrugged. "I went through it after Kol, got over it when I moved in with you." She smiled, nodded her head. "He's not my husband, we're not married bitch."

"You're basically married to him, you're already dictating his worklife! I bet my baby Audi that you two will be engaged and married for real before Jax and I even sit down and talk over the subject." Bri smirked at the blonde. "Don't even deny it either."

Jacey shook her head again. "No I am not… I just wanted some attention. Did I get it? Most certainly did." She grinned before she nodded. "We will not, maybe we'll be lifetime partners. I mean, that tattoo is more permanent that engagement or a ring."

"I'm just over both you and Elijah. You two make me sick." Bri laughed and shook her head. "With my track record, I'll be single by Creed's first birthday."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "No we don't… We're perfect and we're not even dating." She shrugged. "Not sleeping together, not dating, nothing… Kissed him a few days ago but that's it. No you won't, Jax may be an idiot but he's not gonna let you go or do anything to fuck it up. Hush."

"Yeah, I'm aware of how perfect you two are." Bri rolled her eyes. "Just kissed huh? Well, you keep the faith and I'll continue to just focus on my monsters. I can honestly say I've given up on the whole believing in fate thing. It's a sham."

Jacey shook her head. "What's that face for? I got grounded…" She smirked, shaking her head once more. "Oh come on, what's really going on?"

"I doubt that." Bri shrugged. "What's not going on Jacey? You know me, you know how neurotic I am when it comes to relationships. I'm just sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for shit to hit the fan."

The blonde scoffed. "I didn't get grounded but that Elijah look… That, ugh, don't even. He scolded me with his eyes." She shrugged her shoulders. "Stop it, just take it easy. Don't make me lock you in your room upstairs, Brianna. I will do it. Better yet, I can call dad for this shit."

"Don't bother calling dad, he already lectured me on it." Bri shook her head. "Twice."

Jacey shrugged. "Good, Brianna, stop it. You're in a happy little world right now, over in Mayberry." She smirked, pulling Creed out of Bri's arms. "Go run your errands, babe, I'm keeping him because you need some time without an offspring and I need to teach him how to talk and sass Elijah like the rest of us… Oooh my baby Aurelia rattled off a glare and a no to him the other day. It was beautiful."

"He's my only protection Jacey, give him back." Bri sighed. "He doesn't like Elijah. Don't let him around that suit."

The blonde sighed, kissing Creed's temple before passing him back to Bri. "Fine, Brianna. I'll see you later."

"If Elijah wants a relationship with Creed, he knows where to find him." Brianna shook her head. "I'll see you later." She looked at Jacey before looking back down at Creed. "Come on, we can't be late to the doctor's appointment Creed. Let's go make sure everything is good with you." She moved away from Jacey and towards the living room, grabbing Raisa's hand as she went. "Come set your alarm J!"

Jacey shook her head, rubbing her forehead. "Yes Satan." She mumbled as she moved to the foyer, waiting for the pair of brunettes to leave. "It was nice meeting you, Raisa."

"It was nice meeting you too. Tell Elijah I say hi." Raisa smiled. "Bye."

"I'm not satan." Bri rolled her eyes. "Enjoy the rest of your day J. I'll pass back by later. I'll call first though."

The blonde shook her head. "I shall do so. You're definitely a damn evil spawn… Don't be so bratty, Brianna. It's no longer suitable, you have a key and you know you're welcome here anytime you want so calling only wastes your time and my energy getting up to locate my damn phone." She kissed Bri's head. "I love you, let me know how things go, I'll be here all day. Igor is coming back with Cami soon so you'll get to see her."

"Little stinkbutt has to get his little heart checked out." Bri nodded. "I love you too J. I'll try to remember that, that I don't have to call first."

Jacey shook her head. "Hey handsome, just remember to flash them the smirk and show 'em who's boss." She smirked at the baby, kissing his cheek. "You _know_ this…"

"Wave bye to your aunt." Bri smiled as she watched Raisa walk out of the house. "I'll make sure to have your new bestie with me when I come back." She stuck her tongue out at the blonde. "I love you Jacey! Don't kill me!" She moved out of the door and closed it tightly behind her.

* * *

 **AN: Hey loves, thank you for the feedback on the last few chapters. It was very much appreciated. XD**


	42. Worries & Laughter

**February 8, 2014**

"Here." Brianna passed her stethoscope to Jax before she laid Creed on his changing table. "It's okay baby boy, I'll put you in something warm as soon as daddy finishes listening to your heart." She looked back at Jax before pointing to Creed's chest. "Put it on and use it, I want you to hear something Jackson."

Jax looked at the stethoscope in his hand before looking at his girlfriend and son. "What do I know about this Bri? You're the doctor, not me."

She shook her head. "You don't need to be a doctor to listen to your son's heartbeat. Put it on and tell me what you hear Jax."

He nodded as he put on the stethoscope and placed the chestpiece over Creed's heart, looking at Bri as he heard the heartbeat. "What am I actually listening for."

"You hear, the whooshing sound? Like you can hear the heartbeat but there's a whoosh sound?" Bri rubbed over Creed's forehead. "That's a heart murmur Jax. It's nothing too serious and the doctor is saying that it should just clear up but since your family history, they want to keep an eye on him. Monthly pediatric cardiology appointments."

"Yeah?" Jax looked at the brunette before he looked back down at his smiling son. "He's not in any pain or anything? It's nothing that's going to affect him in the long run?" He accepted the onesie from Bri and quickly slipped it on Creed before lifting him up and holding him to his chest tightly. "It's nothing for us to be worried about right Brianna?"

"He's fine. He's a happy little guy. He's not in any pain, it has no long term affects on him. He's going to be fine. Murmurs usually clear up within a child's first year or so." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist and nodded. "You don't have to worry about anything Jax. He's strong, he's going to be happy and healthy forever."

"Good, good." He pressed a kiss to the top of Creed's head before he moved to the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery. "So, what else is on your mind. You said you had something serious to talk to me about but I assume it's not about Creed anymore."

Bri shrugged as she lifted herself onto the changing table and started to swing her legs side to side before she looked up at her boyfriend. Swallowing around the lump in her throat as she looked down at the smiling baby in his arms. "Well, you're probably going to hate me and kick me out because of this." She sighed. "I'm pregnant Jax…"

Jax looked at the brunette, confusion all over his face as he tried to process what she had just told him. "Pregnant? Come on Bri, you can do better than that. What do you actually want to speak to me about?"

"Jackson, I'm serious. I'm pregnant." She shook her head. "I took a few tests and everything. I'm pregnant and we're going to have another kid by like October…"

"Brianna…" The man looked at his girlfriend before shaking his head slowly. "Pregnant?"

"Yeah, well Jax, we weren't exactly careful all the time." She crossed her arms over her chest as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears from falling. "You weren't exactly careful all of the time Jax, or has that fact slipped your mind?"

"He's not even a year old." Jax looked down at his son before looking back up at Bri. "There was supposed to be a few years between them. Not just eight months between him being born and you being pregnant again. Jesus fucking Christ."

Bri nodded slowly as she slipped off the desk. "You don't have to deal with this Jax. I'm more than capable of doing this myself." She shook her head as she wiped at her face. "You watch him. I'm going to the clinic… I'll be back later."

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The brunette looked down at her desk, her eyes jumping from pamphlet to pamphlet as she tried to find some focus. After breaking the news to Jax had gone just about how she expected for it to go. She found herself trying to find some solution, something that'd make things better but she still couldn't bring herself to actually consider anything other than having the baby. "Fuck, fuck fuck." She shook her head as she raked her fingers through her hair, the abortion pamphlets scattering off her desk and fluttering to the floor.

"Dr. Hohrykova, I wasn't expecting you to be in today." Jackie smiled at the brunette. "Preparing to do a consult on a procedure?" She picked up the fallen papers before placing them back on Bri's desk. "You don't seem so relaxed like you usually are, what's the matter my dear?"

Bri looked up at the woman and shrugged. "I'm pregnant, Jax isn't happy about it and I was reading over the material for myself… I've done them, I've educated people on them but I never really ever considered an abortion for myself up until I saw the flash of hatred in my boyfriend's eyes when I told him. I thought it'd be somewhat exciting. I was nervous but excited at the same time. Now I feel like it's nothing but a huge fuck up."

The older woman shook her head. "I think you need to just relax, take a few breaths. Would you like for me to call your father here?"

"Oh no." Bri wiped at her face. "I don't want anyone to know about this just yet. I haven't even decided if I'm going to go through with this. I just need a little more time to think about it and talk with Jax a little more. Thanks though Jackie."

"If you need anything, let me know. I'm here for you _Katarzyna_." The woman smiled. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Thank you." The brunette nodded as she looked over the papers again before moving out of her office and towards the medicine lock up. Her mind running a mile a minute as she pulled her keys and phone out of her pocket, her eyes tearing up more as she looked at her lockscreen, a picture of Jax kissing her belly when she was six months along with Creed. "I have the worst luck." She mumbled as she put her phone back into her pocket and unlocked the medicine cabinet, her hand reaching forward to grab a blister pack of pills. "Just two pills and it's over with Bri, you can do this."

 **February 14, 2014**

"Brianna, get up and into a shower." Aleksandr grabbed a hold of his daughter's ankles and yanked her out of her bed, chuckling as she hit the floor with a thump before waking abruptly, a glare on her face as she looked up at him. "It's your birthday my love!"

"I'm aware that it's my birthday." Brianna groaned as she rubbed her eyes as she slowly stood up from her spot on the floor before crawling back into her bed. "I don't feel well, I don't want to move out of bed. It's my birthday, I deserve this."

"You probably do deserve it but come on, out of bed." He smacked her thigh. "I'm here on request of your boyfriend. He said you've been closed off and ignoring him and your children for nearly a week. You want to tell me what's happening or do I get the opportunity to annoy your ass until you break down and tell me?"

She kicked at his hands before sitting back up. "I did something stupid… I mean, actually stupid dad. I'm pregnant and I tried to kill my baby…" She blinked up at him. "All because of the reaction I received from Jax when I told him I was pregnant."

The man nodded slowly as he lowered himself onto the foot of the bed and looked at his daughter carefully. "You tried? You didn't succeed? You were pregnant or are you still pregnant?"

"I took this pill, well, I had it in my mouth and all that was happening was me freaking out over it and I spit it out." Bri shook her head as she moved closer to her dad and grabbed his hands. "Dad, I was going to have an abortion all because of a dumbass guy. I want this baby. I know it's a huge fuck up because Creed isn't even one yet and it'll be challenging as all hell to raise four kids but I want this kid and I know Jax doesn't want the kid and for a fucking moment, I was going to be that woman again, the woman that gives the man what he wants and ignores her own wants."

He pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on top of her head as he let out a long sigh. "I will kill him. Does he even know? Does he realize what you're going through? Jesus Brianna. Do I have to move you in with me and Gabi and keep an eye on you and the kids? Please tell me now because I'll have Elijah here and packing you guys some bags."

She shook her head. "No. No he doesn't know dad. I haven't wanted to talk to him since I got home that day. I've just been sleeping and ignoring the world. I've been trying to figure out how to handle this. I mean, worst case scenario, you'll be helping me move back into the Fortress…"

"I will still kill him." Aleksandr stood up and lifted Bri over his shoulder and carried her to the bathroom. "Can I trust you to take a shower?"

"Dad, I'm not suicidal. Just a bit homicidal." She grimaced. "That was a really horrible joke. I'm so sorry." She rubbed her stomach and sighed. "I'm so sorry baby."

"Take a shower. I'll be back to check on you." He kissed her head before walking out of the bathroom and through the master suite, his boots making soft thuds as he descended the stairs. "Jackson, I'll be back. Keep an eye on her and an ear out. She's in a really bad place right now. Also, if you keep making her feel like you hate her for this, I will kill you." He continued out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

 **.**

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"Hey sis." Anthony smiled down at Bri as he walked into the house. "I brought you presents, a sister and a little babbling fool of a niece who thought she was going to see you know who but instead she's here with us."

"Hi." Bri smiled at the trio before taking Kajsa from Nik. "The kids are actually all down for a nap. It's just me and Jax is out doing whatever it is he does." She kissed Kajsa's forehead. "I'm sorry that I'm not your boyfriend but I swear, I'm a better cuddler and way prettier than he is."

"Happy birthday Bri, you're getting old as fuck." Nik smirked at her older sister before passing her a gift bag. "We still love you though."

"Geez, I would hope so." Bri shook her head as she opened the gift and smiled. "You guys got me a Rolex with free floating red and black diamonds." She grinned widely as she eyed the watch before looking up at her sister and brother. "Thank you guys so much. I'm seriously about to cry right now."

"Lord." Nik shook her head as she pulled her sister into a hug. "Don't cry Brianna. It's a happy gift, smile and be happy."

"Tears of joys." Bri nodded as she let Anthony slip the watch onto her wrist. "It fits perfectly. Just how I love it. Kinda loose but won't fall off. I love you guys."

"We love you too." The blonde smiled as she took her daughter back ."Ew, she smells. I'm going to go change her. I'll be right back. Don't open anymore gifts without me. Or I'll be the one crying like a baby."

Bri watched the pair of blondes leave before she turned her attention onto Anthony. "I have a serious request, you can think about it, you can say no right now if you damn well please but you have to promise to hear me out on it alright Anthony?"

"What is it Bri? If you're asking me to put a bullet in your head, I'll have to decline the request right now." Anthony shook his head as he took in the brunette's appearance carefully. "You're pregnant, when do you plan to break the news to the family?"

"Jesus, you've been hanging out around my dad too long." She shook her head. "Not for awhile. I need to get in a better place about this before I go blabbing about it to everyone else. You, Jax, and dad know. That's not even the point of the question that I'm trying to ask you." She sighed. "I would like you to accept a promotion. You've proven yourself, you've never let me down, you've done nothing but be the best suit. You've come a long way from the Anthony that had to be pulled off suit duty and bussed back off to camp. So, will you accept a promotion? You'll have your own little gaggle of suits to boss around. You won't have to answer to Elijah any longer, instead, you'll be his direct peer."

He nodded as he flashed her a smile. "A promotion huh? I get to be a boss and not just handle everyone else's grunt work? I'll talk to Nik and think it over but I'll get back to you in a few days, is that good with you Bri?"

"Yeah, a promotion. A deserved one." She nodded as she took a sip of her lemonade. "Take your time. Talk it over, I hope you know that I won't be offended if you decline the promotion. I just wanted to offer it to you because of your vast improvement, dedication, loyalty and the way you treat myself and my family. Plus, the promotion comes with more responsibility but less field work. It'd give you more time to spend with Kajsa and Nik, that's less time for her to worry about anything bad happening to you. So, think it over, you know my number, email and where I live." She smiled. "Also, remember that you deserve it."

Anthony nodded and smiled at the brunette as he reached over the island and flicked her nose. "You gotta keep the smile sis. It suits you. I know you're going through some shit right now. It sucks that you can't get above it in this moment but I do hope for the best for you. You can't be stressing out since you're ya know… I don't want you to beat yourself up about anything if you can prevent it, ya know?"

Bri blinked at him for a few moments before nodding and smiling. "Yeah, I know Anthony. I'm getting out of it. He may not be excited or happy about it but I'm getting excited about it slowly. I won't be stuck in this spot forever. I just have to remind myself that it's ok for me to want things for myself and shed the mindset that I have of me not deserving anything that I want."

"Good because I'm waiting for the foolish Brianna that I met to come back. You know who I'm talking about Miss Basketball Shorts and a Crop top. Don't forget the fucking Nike slip on sandals. You'd go from proper Russian princess to hood in five seconds." He laughed and shook his head. "I honestly liked that side of you the best, it reminded me of all the wannabe hood white girls I went to school with."

She laughed and covered her face before shaking her head. "Man, that's still my guilty pleasure. That fucking outfit. I'll rock it again. Jacey _hates_ it so much. She thinks I look foolish but it was comfortable and showed off all my ink. Plus it was like the most basic that I could get. No frills or thrills."

"Yes! Bring back Basic Brianna, shit, I'll bankroll you the cash so you can go stock up on shorts, crop tops, socks and slip ons." He shook his head again. "Better yet, we dress you, Monica, Nik, Kajsa, Creed and Javi up in the outfits. I'll join in too. It'll be like a basic family photo session. I know Monica would get a kick out of that."

"Oh. My. God." She nodded eagerly as she tried to catch her breath. "That'd be fucking _perfect_. Sign us all up. Let's go to the mall right now. Nik! Your husband to be has me dying of laughter because he likes my basketball shorts and crop tops look!"

"Jesus." Nik shook her head as she looked at the pair before passing her daughter to Anthony. "I'm for the look too because I'm guilty of wearing it from time to time when I'm too lazy to put effort into getting dressed. What're we doing about it then huh?"

"We're getting the kids and us together, putting the outfit on and letting MoMo set up a photoshoot for us. It's going to be a Hohrykova-Robles-Ortiz-Teller-Lowman Photoshoot?" Anthony nodded and smiled. "We're going to be _colour_ coordinated and everything mamas."

"That was a mouthful. I also can't believe I have to claim four of those last names because you two are basically married so Nik is a Robles." Bri laughed and rolled her eyes. "I have three kids by three different men. I'm one scandal away from landing on the cover of St. Petersburg Press back home. Jesus Christ."

"Mom! You got a huge box dropped off!" Monica pushed the box into the kitchen and cocked an eyebrow at the laughing adults. "What's so funny huh?"

"Your mom's sense of style." Anthony chuckled as he looked down at the box. "Who's Alex?"

"He's an old friend from my college years." Bri rounded the counter and looked at the box before reaching back and grabbing a knife. "We've recently been in contact. I'll have to introduce you guys to him. He's a character. Elijah hates him but you know, whatever." She cut through the tape and opened the flaps of the box before pausing as she pulled out a note card. "To Brianna, may your birthday be full of fun and foolishness." She set the card on the counter and pulled out a smaller box, opening it slowly before gasping. "Oh shit! Oh shit! It's a custom Russian handgun."

"Great, like she needed _another_ one." Monica shook her head as she looked up at her uncle. "I'm going to have to talk to this Alex person about this. I'll be back mom. Keep an eye on her you guys."

"It's gorgeous." Bri sighed as she set the gun back in its box and onto the counter. "Look at it. It's white and rose gold. It even has my name on it. I'll never use it but I'll display it proudly in the highest shelf in my office."

"It's a gorgeous gun, that's for sure." Anthony lifted it out of the box and gave it a once over before placing it back. "Must've cost a whole lot… He's just a friend you said?"

"Oh no, don't even go there. He's a wealthy friend." The brunette looked in the bigger box and pulled out a few more smaller boxes. "He even sent ammo. He knows me too well but too bad I'm just going to display the gun. You guys are staying for pizza right? I have pizza coming and it'll be amazing."

Nik nodded. "Yes bitch, of course we're staying for pizza. I never pass up pizza or free food. You know this bitch. You really do."

"I was just making sure." Bri plucked her niece from Anthony's arms and smiled down at her. "You wanna go drool all over your little cousin Creed? He's probably ready to be let loose in the living room. We have the baby pen up, like the whole living room is his to explore and he can't get out of the pen thing. Like it's the most amazing thing in life." She looked at Anthony. "Can you put that in the cabinet in my office, the tallest shelf. I can't reach it but you can. Thanks bro."

"What'd you do to my sister?" Nik stopped her fiance from walking out of the kitchen behind Bri. "She was down and in her emotions when we got here, now she's laughing and her eyes actually look like they're full of life." She cocked an eyebrow at the man. "You slip her a little upper or something in the lemonade?"

Anthony laughed and shook his head. "No. I acted like the brother I'm supposed to be and told her that she needs to find a way to get out of her funk and that she needs to know that she deserves to be happy. Also, don't tell her I told you and you have to pretend like you don't know, she's pregnant. Jax isn't excited, that's why she's in her mood." He shrugged. "Now, she's laughing, having fun. Let's keep it that way Nikola. I hate seeing either of you crying. I like seeing you both happy and smiling. So, let's go out there and enjoy the rest of your sister's birthday." He kissed her and smiled. "It's going to be a good night."

* * *

 **AN: I know Bri is in a seemingly horrible place right now but I do promise that it gets better for her and will stay better for her, once she makes it through this rough patch and realizes that she can't always wait for things to go wrong because sometimes they just don't go wrong.**


	43. Two

**March 9, 2014**

Nearly a month and Bri was avoiding all of her doctor's appointments. She didn't want it to feel anymore real than it currently felt. She was pregnant, she was trying to maintain her excitement while ignoring the fact that her boyfriend wasn't happy about this pregnancy. She looked over her desk one last time before standing up and stretching, her hands rubbing her lower back as she already started to feel the baby and the extra weight straining her back. "I can't believe you're deciding to break the record for the biggest baby." She rubbed her stomach and sighed. "I'm already popping out kid. I can't believe you're most likely going to be another boy."

"Mom!" Monica huffed as she moved into her mom's office, her hands going right to the baby bump as she stopped in front of her mom. "Can Nina spend the night? I want her to meet my dad."

"Yeah, she can spend the night." The brunette nodded. "I have no problem with her staying the night as long as it's not on a school night. You know how I feel about you getting your rest Monica."

"I just want her to meet him. She doesn't think his real name is Happy or that he has a whole lot of ink." The eleven year old shook her head. "She's so annoying sometimes though mom. I only like her half of the time."

Bri smirked to herself as she shook her head. "Is she baby? Is she super annoying? That's what it'd be like if you had an older sister. I annoy Jacey and Nikola a lot. Raisa annoys me a lot, sometimes I want to hit her."

Monica shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her mom. "I hope you have a girl. I want a sister to dress up. Jax keeps getting upset when I dress Creed up in tutus… I don't see Kajsa enough and I never really see Aurelia or Camryn. I just want my own sister."

"I will think about that baby, I will consider giving you a little sister, even if I have to have another baby after this one." She chuckled. "I'm happy that you have your long hair back. I loved the bob but this long hair is where it's at my love."

"So, this one is a boy?" Monica sighed. "Stupid boys. I'm so tired of having brothers mom. I already have two of them. When do you see the doctor to get pictures? I wanna go with you? Can I go with you?"

"Deep breath babe." Bri shook her head. "I don't need you to be as neurotic and crazy as I am."

"I just wanna see the baby, just like I got to see with Javi and Creed." The brunette nodded and smiled up at her mom. "So, when is your appointment?"

"Um, I missed my appointment but if we go into my clinic tomorrow, we can see what's up with the baby. I'll make sure I take you with me." She smiled as she kissed Monica's head. "Now, go be a kid while I grab Creed and feed him, then start on lunch for you and Javi."

 **March 10, 2014**

"Well, fuck me." Bri shook her head as she looked at the small screen as the sound of a beating heart flooded the exam room. "There's two babies…" She looked between her nurse and daughter before covering her face and groaning. "I've managed to get knocked up with twins? Twins!? Monica! Two babies!"

Monica laughed and nodded. "Maybe one of them is a girl!"

The brunette sighed as she looked at her daughter. "This stays in this room, don't go telling anyone, okay Monica? I don't want anyone to know that I'm pregnant right now, let alone pregnant with twins." She shook her head. "Don't even tell Jax."

"I'm not gonna say anything." The eleven year old smirked. "It's our secret. I can't believe you're having two babies. It's weird, how do they even fit? Is that why you're belly is so big right now huh mom?"

Bri nodded as she wiped off her stomach and sat up slowly. "Yeah, that's why I'm so big right now. I just figured it was a single baby trying to break a record, not two babies fighting for space." She shook her head and sighed. "I don't even know what to do or how to handle this."

"Mom, don't be sad, ok?" Monica shook her head. "I'll take care of one of the babies for you, alright? I'll stop photography, dance and hanging out with friends to help you, just don't cry ok? You promise me that you won't cry again mom?"

"I'm not going to cry." Bri pulled her daughter to her and wrapped her arms tightly around her. "It's fine. I'm fine baby girl. You don't have to stop anything, alright? I'm the mom, I will take care of you and your siblings and I'll be good. You hear me?" She looked down at her and smiled. "Thank you for offering to help but I can't have you giving up your life. These are my babies and I want you to stay focused on your hobbies, school and friends. You have time to take care of a baby when you're older and married."

Monica nodded as she hugged her mom tightly. "I love you mom. I know I don't have to help you but if you need me to help you, I will. Ok?" She kissed her mom's chin and smiled. "I can't wait to meet the babies though."

She smiled. "I love you too baby." She kissed Monica's head and sighed. "I don't even deserve a kid as amazing as you. Let's get out of here though. I'll treat you to a trip to the little camera shop that just opened up. It's called _Mo's_."

"I got my own camera shop?" Monica smirked. "That's so awesome!"

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself, just because I named it Mo's doesn't mean it's yours yet. You have to keep doing well in school, you can start working their part time when you're thirteen if you're up for it. I bought it because I want you to have something that'll help you develop a good and solid work ethic. I want you to have something to keep you busy so you won't fuck your life up." Bri nodded. "Remember, I just want you to do way better than I've done. I love you so much baby girl."

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"Look at that…" Bri pointed towards the bird that was just a few feet away from her and Creed. "It's a bird, it whistles." She smiled at the nine month old baby. "You know, I won't be mad at all if you babbled to me as much as you babbled to your brother. I swear, you're more like Happy's kid than mine or Jackson's. Quiet little thing you are."

"Thank God that he's quiet." Raisa dropped down on the grass next to her sister and nephew. "He doesn't need to be a chatterbox like you are Brianna."

The brunette shook her head as she looked at her older sister. "Hello to you too Raisa, what brings you out to Charming on this fine day?"

"I wanted to see if you made any headway with the whole contesting Max's will. I know you said you'd think about it and whatever but I just need this for my kid." Raisa nodded. "Please."

Bri sighed as she set Creed on the grass between her legs and looked at her sister. "Raisa, what's this really fucking about? Don't bullshit me either. You're having money problems again? Changing the will wouldn't do anything for you right now. It still won't go into effect until she's out of high school."

"How do you do it?" Raisa looked at Bri. "You get a monthly check because Max passed away?"

"I work. I still own the family's arms business. I do get a monthly check to handle Monica's monthly expenses but that's because I was actually married to the man. He loved Monica so damn much even though he was the biggest asshole in the world to me. He was controlling, abusive but he made sure to put things in place that'd ensure that Monica would be taken care of at all times." Bri shrugged. "How much money do you need Raisa and who'd you get in trouble with now?"

"My ex. I owe him money." Raisa sighed. "I need two million Brianna."

"Two million?" The brunette shook her head as she looked down at her son. "Alright, give me your ex's information. I'll have Aleksandr pay him off. No offense but last time I gave you money you said was to pay off a debt you took off and never paid the debt off… What happened to all of that money? It should've lasted this long, you should still have some of the money."

"Brianna, please don't do your judging thing right now." Raisa shook her head. "I just need the money. I promise that I'll make sure the debt is paid off."

Bri nodded. "Alright. I just need to get my dad to cut a check for you. He handles all my finances these days because I'm over it all to be honest." She shrugged as she lifted up her son and peppered his face with kisses. "Plus, Jax pays all the bills and handles the household expenses these days."

"Thank you Brianna." The older brunette smiled. "I appreciate this."

"Bitch, you better appreciate this shit." Bri rolled her eyes. "I knew you were after money the moment you stepped back into the states. You spent your last cash on those plane tickets for you and Nina huh? How are you even paying for Arseny to stick around Raisa?"

"I do." Raisa nodded. "He's here out of loyalty mostly hoping to get picked up by you hopefully needing another suit, especially since his brother Yevgeny is pretty close with you."

"Do I run a suit orphanage?" Bri shook her head. "I don't know, he'll have to talk to my dad or Elijah about a place. Maybe even talk to Anthony since he's recruiting talent. I'll tell him to go to the Fortress and meet with Arseny."

"Mama." Creed flashed a gummy smile up at his mom before he roughly tugged her hair. "Mama."

"I'm right here baby." The brunette smirked at her son before lifting him up. "I'm glad you decided to speak to me finally. My little handsome boy. I love you so, so much." She kissed his forehead and nodded. "You're just so damn handsome, I could just cuddle you nonstop."

"Man oh man. Is it finally good to step foot in Charming." The intruder smiled down at Bri. "Don't look so surprised Bri. It was a matter of time."

Bri looked up and shook her head as a grin spread across her face. "Alex!"

Alex chuckled as he watched the brunette stand up. "This is the little guy you were all knocked up with?" He slipped the child out of Bri's arms and smiled. "He looks nothing like me, so I'm kinda offended that you and Jacey interrupted my sex to pin him on me."

She laughed and rolled her eyes before watching her older sister slink away. "Shut up. He looks like his dad's side of the family. Maybe the baby I'm knocked up with now is yours. It could happen!" She shook her head. "Apparently, I'm very fucking fertile and get knocked up very easily." She shrugged. "But seriously, what are you doing here huh?"

"I decided I'd give you an answer in person. You know, that detailed business plan that you emailed to me a few days ago? Told me to look it over and get back to you about my thoughts and if I was down for it?" He cocked an eyebrow at the brunette. "Unless you weren't actually serious about going into business together."

"No, no. I'm very serious about it." Bri nodded as she heard the rumble of a Harley drawing closer. "I didn't expect to hear back from you so fast. It's a major move for me. We've never actually had an outside partner join the arms business before but I figured since you're a big business man, we're old friends, that we trust each other, that I'd extend the offer and opportunity to you before anyone else."

"I'm honored. I do want to take this opportunity. I don't have any problems with what's outlined in the agreement either. We should just get our lawyers together and sign the paperwork." He smiled before turning his attention to the Harley pulling up in the driveway. "That your _husband_?"

She smiled and nodded. "Good, good. Yeah, I'll definitely have my lawyer hunt yours down." She looked at Jax as he slid effortlessly off his Dyna. "He's not my husband." She shook her head as she kept her eyes on him as he swaggered closer to them. "Hey."

"Hey babe." Jax kissed Bri and smirked before looking at the man who was holding his son. "I'll take him if you don't mind." He took Creed from Alex. "Jax."

"Alex." Alex smiled. "Your girl- Bri's new business partner."

"Oh yeah?" Jax nodded. "Bri's my girlfriend, don't know why you stopped yourself." He looked at Bri before rubbing her belly. "I'll be inside babe."

Bri shook her head as she watched Jax stalk off towards the house. "I'll be in touch Alex. I gotta go baby Mr. Moody pants." She smiled at the man before walking after Jax. "Jackson, what's the matter?"

"I don't appreciate you letting some man I don't even know hold my son." He looked back at her and shook his head. "Business partner? That man is a doctor?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, he's not a doctor. He's a businessman. I'm revamping my family arms business. I wanted a partner, I asked him to be a partner because he's an old friend, has money and I trust him. I'm trying to do something to keep busy since I can't do anything important at the clinic and the doctor told me to keep busy."

Jax sighed as he ran his hand down his face. "Arms business? You're revamping a weapons business and you didn't even think to ask me about it? That would've been a good opportunity for the club Brianna."

Bri nodded. "Babe, you all are ex-felons. You wouldn't have passed the necessary tests to get the licenses to sell weapons. The best you'd be able to do is maybe be a silent partner. Control part of the store but none of the weapons." She ran her hands over her stomach and sighed. "I don't wanna argue with you Jax. I know you hate me right now because I'm pregnant but I'm just trying to keep my spirits up for the baby's sake." She sighed as she moved around him. "I just need to excuse myself."

He shook his head as he caught her hand. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you Bri… I want you to know that babe."

She looked at him and gave him a single nod before pulling her hand free. "I need to lay down. I'll see you at dinner. Just make sure you keep an eye out, poor baby has a diaper rash. The cream is by his diapers. I'll be down later."


	44. Happiness

**March 26, 2014**

"I've always wondered what it'd be like to be loved as selflessly as I love those that are in my life." Brianna Hohrykova spoke as she stared forward at her younger sister Nik. "I know that I'm loved. I know that I'm cared about but sometimes I wonder about those I love that just don't love me the same way."

Nik nodded as she continued to rub her older sister's belly. "I think you need to stop using me as your therapist and actually start seeing yours again Brianna. I know, you have a lot of shit to work through and it's not easy since you're pregnant as fuck but I need you to know that you are loved and that we all care about you. You need to stop being so delusional about it all. Yeah, we love you with everything that we are but we can't stop our lives to rush to you. I know, I know. You drop everything for everyone else but that isn't the name of the game anymore. Now, we all have families of our own. We have to kinda learn how to be independent and get through shit via a phone call or a text."

Bri sighed as she smacked her sister's hands from her stomach. "Nik, I know that. I really do, that's why I'm resting easy these days. I know we all have our own families and shit going on in our lives. I'm not going into a negative headspace. For the record, I actually have been seeing my therapist. I haven't been ignoring her as much as I've been ignoring the weekly doctor appointments for the babies."

The blonde reached forward and smacked her sister. "Bitch, you need to go to those appointments. You need to make sure your babies don't morph into icky little mutants while you're doing whatever it is that you're doing with your delusional ass."

"Nik, whoa. Just chill ok?" The brunette shook her head. "I'm on a path to finding my happiness again. I have my kids, I have my family, I have something I'm passionate about in the works. I'm moving to a good headspace Nik. I'm also moving back to Oakland because I've decided that I'm tired of making sacrifices for men who don't sacrifice a damn thing for me. If Jax loves me, he'll be supportive of the move back to Oakland. I shouldn't have even moved here to begin with since it was never for me, it was always for him."

"Brianna." Nik shook her head as she flashed the brunette a smile. "Oakland huh? You're really doing what you need to do to make yourself happy? I'm not gonna find you in this house in a week, talking about how it's a mistake to leave Charming?"

"Yeah, really." Bri nodded eagerly. "Yes. Nik just shut up, ok. I'm having a good day, these happy far and few between. Sometimes I do still get down in the dumps but that's just from the lack of control I have over my feelings… You know one baby wrecks me but two are just eating slowly at my control. I cried this morning because I dropped my bagel and it landed cream cheese side down on the sidewalk."

"Aw my poor love." Nik laughed as she moved closer to her sister and wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck. "I love you Bri and I hope you continue to fight your way out of your head and emotions. No matter how many setbacks you may encounter, just know you have a family that's cheering for you all the time."

"Don't go off getting mushy on me Nik." Bri kissed her sister's cheek and smirked. "Now that I'm pregnant, I vote for you to let me wear something flowy that hugs my boobs, shows off my baby bump and makes me look like the pregnant goddess that I am."

"I'm not even dealing with you right now." Nik stood up before picking Kajsa from out of the bassinet with Creed. "Look at her, getting all whiny because I took her away from her baby cousin Creed. She's a ridiculous little grinch." She kissed her daughter's nose and smiled. "You stop making that face right now Kajsa Muse, if you keep it up, I'll be forced to cancel your little play date with Kol."

Bri shook her head. "Don't be mean to my niece. Don't keep her away from her husband either, that's so rude. I love seeing them together. She's so tiny and he's a big ass beast of a boy. It's amazing." She smirked. "Keeping her away from Kol, is like keeping Jacey and Elijah away, it's just going to send them on a path of seeking new loves only to end up back together in the end after tremendous pain and heartbreak."

"Oh, that's it." Nik shook her head as she bit back a smile. "I'm officially done with your ass Katarzyna…" She trailed off in Russian as she slung her purse over her shoulder. "I'll see you later love." She kissed Bri's forehead and smiled. "I love you babe. If you need anything, call me, text me, send up a huge ass smoke signal, carrier pigeon, just anything. I'll come running to you babe."

 **.**

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"Hey, Jax." Bri sat down on the leather sofa opposite her boyfriend's recliner and took a deep breath. "I have something to tell you, it's about the pregnancy…"

Jax turned his attention to the brunette and nodded slowly, closing the Harley manual before setting it aside. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the baby?" He felt panic rise through his chest as he finally took notice of the brunette's predominant baby bump. "What's wrong Brianna?"

She shook her head as she tried to gather the words to tell him that she wasn't pregnant with one baby but two. "There's nothing wrong." She sighed as she rubbed her bump before looking back up at the handsome man. "It's just something that I should've told you sooner but I didn't know what to say because I know you're not happy about this at all." She dropped her eyes to the floor before parting her lips to speak the truth. "I'm pregnant with _twins_. That's why I'm so fat and the baby bump is really popping."

He studied her carefully before rubbing both his hands up and down his face before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he tried to process the information. "Twins? Two babies? Brianna? Two? Twins? How? What? Can we even afford twins?" He sighed as he moved from the recliner and to the leather sofa, his hands rubbing over her belly as he studied her profile carefully before reaching forward and tilting her face up so they made eye contact. "It's not that I'm not happy, don't get me wrong. It's just fucking scary Brianna. I don't know how to handle it all… I went from barely being a part of Abel's life, to having Monica and Javier around, to us having Creed. Now you're pregnant this soon after Creed, it's a daunting situation."

"Jax, you don't think it was scary as fuck to find out that I was pregnant? You know how scared I was to tell this to you because I knew you'd point the finger at me. That it's my fault that I'm pregnant, you put all the blame on me, like I wanted it this soon. Yeah, I wanted another child but I was good with waiting for Creed to be older, you just didn't wanna use condoms." Bri shook her head as she looked away from Jax, fighting back her tears. "This fucking ruined me for the first month or so that I knew… God, if only you knew what I did or attempted to do."

She stood up and wiped at her eyes. "I need to go to the bathroom." She moved out of the living room and into the guest bathroom, locking the door behind her as she slid to the floor and rested her head against the door. "God, if only you fucking knew Jax."

"Talk to me Brianna, tell me." Jax rested his forehead against the door, trying the knob once before sighing. "Just tell me what I need to do to fix this Bri, I don't want to lose you, I can't fucking lose you or my family. I refuse to lose it all."

"I can't tell you." Bri mumbled. "You'd really hate me if you knew."

"Just tell me babe." He knocked lightly on the door with his knuckles. "You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to but please promise me that you'll tell me eventually… Just make me that promise."

"I promise." She stood up from the floor and opened the door slowly. "I promise that I'll tell you eventually." She wiped at her eyes again as she let him pull her into a tight hug. "I promise Jax. I really do."

 **April 1, 2014**

"You're going to need a minivan." Alex smirked as Bri stopped in front of him, a child on each side of her as she cradled her youngest son in her arms. "Bring your child to work day or something?"

Bri rolled her eyes. "No, no. It's Saturday first and foremost. I didn't have a babysitter and this one right here." She tapped Monica on the head with her elbow. "Decided she wants to document everything with pictures."

"Monica?" He looked at her and smiled. "You probably don't even remember me but we met a few times when you were younger. You were a chubby little baby with a head of lush brown hair. I see that you've managed to look even more like your mom than before. It's insane…"

Monica nodded her head before shrugging. "Thanks. Mom can we go take pictures now? Javi is my assistant and I'm paying him by the hour. Time is money and money is something I'm limited on until I sell another piece."

"Oh, did I mention, at the grand old age of eleven she's already managed to sell seven pieces for a grand total of ten thousand dollars. Nope, none of her family purchased the pieces." Bri shook her head. "So, this is the first walk through of the store and the gun range, we just need to actually settle on a name for the company, store, whatever."

"You ever think about hiring a nanny?" Alex held open the door and watched the brunette walk in before following behind her. "It could help you out a whole lot."

"I was a product of a nanny." She chuckled. "Until Aleksandr took over full time. Then I was his daughter. He used to take me everywhere with him. I'd sit in the waiting room sometimes and just write or draw, maybe do a word search or something." She smiled to herself. "I have actually thought about a nanny but I need to talk it over with Jax, see how he feels about his kids having a nanny. I don't think he'd mind too much though."

"I remember you telling me that he used to let you sit on his lap while he drove." He shook his head as he looked around the impressive space. "How much did this storefront cost? Or how much does it cost monthly?"

Bri shrugged. "I have no clue to be honest. I just liked the place and told my dad to make it happen. I just like that it looks like it's classy, chic, pristine. You have the front desk. Two or three gorgeous Russian young women sitting behind it. They direct clients to the appropriate area. We have the showroom off to the left, the gun range to the right. If you take those stairs, you'll reach the offices and if you go down the stairs, you'll hit the work area. It was just so perfect."

"So, I'm just going to assume you just bought it straight out." Alex nodded as he took Creed from Bri's arms. "So, can I just ask what's up with you and your boyfriend?"

"We're in a rough spot right now, unexpected pregnancy. Too early after Creed. Jax is spooked about it but ya know, I know we can fix all of this shit, we just need to actually sit and talk to each other about everything." She sighed as she rubbed her belly. "He withdrew, so I withdrew but he did ry to open up a few days ago and I totally shut down because I didn't want to tell him how bad shit was for me when he reacted the way he did when I told him I was pregnant."

"That's what happens when you have sex." He shook his head as he looked down at Creed and smiled. "Don't tell your mom but she's over there waddling like a pregnant penguin."

"Oh, did you just call me mom a penguin!?" Javier looked up at Alex and crossed his arms over his chest. "Apologize then give me my baby!"

"Oh snap." Alex nodded. "I'm sorry for calling you a penguin Bri!" He looked down at Javier before passing him Creed. "Here's your baby sir."

Javi nodded as he sat down on the floor with his little brother. "That's right Alex! Know your place homie!"

"Well, damn." The man moved towards the brunette before he glanced back at Javier. "He always that protective and intense?"

"Yes, he is." Bri nodded as she smiled at her sons. "He's always that intense and perfect. He knows that he's supposed to protect his mama and look after his younger brother. He'll warm up to you once he gets to know you but he's always that way when new people come in. You should've seen how he reacted to Creed's new doctor. Wouldn't let her touch Creed unless he was holding him."

"He's my baby." Javier mumbled as he looked at the pair of adults. "I take care of my family. My uncle Hap taught me that and so did my dad. I have to always look after my family."

"You're absolutely perfect." Bri smiled down at Javier. "I love everything about you and how much you strive to protect your family. It's absolutely lovely. I couldn't ask for anything more in life. I know you're going to treat the new siblings so great baby."

"This is lowkey making me want a wife and kids." Alex shook his head. "I gotta get out of here. You're killing my bachelor vibe." He chuckled. "Got me up in here wanting to change my life, good God."

"Ha, you're welcome." She smirked at him. "Maybe I can set you up with one of the nurses at my clinic or if you're into strippers, my sister Nikola owns a half a dozen clubs, I can send you towards her talent."

He nodded. "Set me up with a nurse. I need to stay away from strippers man. They aren't good for me or my bank accounts." He smirked. "Um, let me get my lawyer here and I'll have him go over everything and since the space is yours, I don't have to worry about that but I will kick in with utilities money."

Bri nodded. "For sure, just come by the next time I'm in the clinic." She smiled. "Yeah, yeah. That's fine." She passed him a set of keys. "They're all yours. Hohrykova and Pierson is officially in business."

"Yeah, we just need to actually get a cooler name for the business though." Alex shrugged. "I'll be there. Just let me know when."

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"Brianna." Jax spoke softly as he walked into the master bedroom and sat down on the foot of the bed, his blue eyes flickering over the still form of the pregnant brunette before he reached forward and rubbed his hands over the prominent bump. "I know you're awake and I want to talk to you. Please, please. Just talk to me Bri."

"I'm listening." She mumbled as she rested her hands on top of his. "What do you want to talk about Jax? You want to tell me more about how you're scared and not ready for this? How you're not ready to welcome twins into the world?"

"I'm scared, I'm not ready but I love you Brianna and I don't want to lose you or the family that we have together." He shook his head as he stared down at her. "I love you so damn much, it'd kill me to lose you babe."

Bri sat up and trailed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "You don't think I was scared out of my mind to tell you? Jax, when I told you. I just saw this flash of hatred and disappointment in your eyes and it sent me to a dark place." She look down at her stomach and sighed. "I was going to have an abortion. That's where my mind went, how could I make you happy? That's all I could think about when I was standing in the clinic. Tried to tell myself it would be fast and easy, easier than raising another kid on my own… I couldn't do that. I hated myself after that."

The man blinked at her before wiping at his face. "I had no idea… I had no idea that I sent you into that place. I'm sorry Brianna." He pulled her towards him and nodded. "I didn't know… I didn't think you'd go to that place. I'm sorry I put that on you, I really am."

"It's alright. I've learned to deal with shit on my own these past few months." She shrugged as she stared at him. "I want to-" She stopped mid sentence as she heard Creed's cries over the baby monitor. "It's time for him to eat, I'll grab him."

He shook his head. "I know but you shouldn't have had to deal with it all on your own. I'm sorry Brianna." He nodded as he listened to his son cries get louder. "You stay here and I'll get him. I'll be back."

"There's bottles already prepared in the fridge, just pop one into the warmer." Bri nodded as she gave him a small smile before laying back down. "I do hope we can get in a better place again Jax. I really do."

Jax nodded as he stopped to look at the brunette. "We will Brianna, we will because I'm going to fix all of this. For you, for me, for us, for the kids."


	45. Sacrifice

**April 9, 2014**

"Whoa, you are super pregnant." Kozik smiled down at Brianna as she walked towards him. "What brings you to the clubhouse? Come to find a new Son to play daddy to the new kid?"

Bri narrowed her eyes at the man before shaking her head. "Well, that was fucking disrespectful on a whole new level Kozik." She rubbed her belly and shrugged. "I'm here because I need to talk to Juice about Javier, not because I'm looking for any new Son. I'm pretty much done with them right now. Three main ones in my life is more than enough."

"You sure? I mean, Case could be next in line. He looks like he's your type." The man chuckled as he draped a large arm over the brunette's shoulder. "Come on, don't look at me like that. You know it's true."

The brunette rolled her eyes as she shoved Kozik away from her. "You're going to fucking regret ever giving me a hard time Kozik. It was funny the first time, 'ha ha, Brianna's a slut because she slept with me, Jax and Juice and maybe even Happy.' It's just fucking annoying and disrespectful now. You don't see me going around blabbing about your lack of endowment now do you? Watch your fucking back, sleep with your gun within reach and a single eye open because you've now been marked." She flashed him a smile. "Maybe you'll get to see first hand just how Elijah works."

"You can't just go around _marking_ people." Kozik shook his head as he laughed lightly before walking after her. "Come on, Bri. You're not serious right? Right? You're not really going to send Elijah to kill me in my sleep, right?"

She shrugged. "I'll mark who I please." She chuckled. "Sleep well tonight because it may possibly be your last…"

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jax looked at Bri and flashed her a small smile. "Something wrong with Creed? Are you ok?"

Bri smiled as she allowed the man to pull her into a hug. "I'm fine baby. Creed is fine. I just wanted to stop by and talk to you if you had a few moments to spare for me." She looked up at him before placing his hands on her belly as she sat down on the bench. "I had a doctor's appointment today…"

He nodded as his brows stitched together in concern. "They're alright in there right? The babies?"

She nodded as she passed him the pictures. "I hate you so much Jax. I wanted girls but you gave me two more boys." She smiled down at him. "What am I gonna do with two more of you running around town?"

"Boys?" Jax looked up at the brunette and smiled. "Twin boys? We're having twin boys Brianna?"

"Yup." She nodded. "That's them, they're due in September but the doctor says they could come early and that's normal for twins."

He studied the pictures before looking back up at the brunette. "Boys. I can't believe it babe." He rested his hands on her belly and sighed. "Teller Twins."

Bri smiled and nodded. "Yes, the Teller Twins. You can brag about how you knocked me up with two more boys if you please. I do have to go though. I'm tired and need to get home and take a nice hot bath and nap." She kissed his cheek. "I'll see you at home."

"Yeah, babe." He stood up with her and pulled her into another tight hug. "I'll follow you home. I don't have any other business to handle around here."

"Sounds good." She grabbed his hand and grinned. "Just so you know. I've already named the boys Mason and Noah since you weren't around at the start for them. I'm not changing their names either."

"Did you name them on the way here or did you name them when you found out you were pregnant?" He opened the driver's door of her Land Rover and helped her inside. "I don't have any issues with their names. They're pretty solid."

"I named them in March, I just figured they'd be boys by the way my body was acting and all of that good shit." Bri smiled at the man. "You really don't have to come home with me Jax."

"I know I don't but I want to." Jax nodded. "I'll see you there. Drive safe." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "We'll cuddle when you're out of the bath."

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"How come Creed is standing on your belly? Huh mom?" Javier shook his head as he watched his baby brother stand on their mom's belly. "He's gonna hurt my other babies!"

Bri shook her head and smiled at her eldest son. "He's not gonna hurt _your_ babies. He's barely putting any weight on my belly. They're fine baby, just relax for me. How was your weekend with your dad? Did you have fun, huh?"

"I had fun." Javi nodded and smiled. "We're building a model of the clubhouse out of legos! It's so cool mom! You need to see it. Oh, Oh, we also got me a _bike_! It is a spiderman one and I love it, dad was teaching me how to ride it and he said one day he'll bring it over here so you can see me and help me to!"

"Whoa! You're riding a bike babe?" The brunette smiled. "Man, you're just growing up on me huh? Did dad teach you the rules? No riding in the street, always wear a helmet and make sure that he's out there with you at all times?"

The boy nodded. "Yes! He taught me all the rules. He said he values his life too much to let me get hurt. He said he knows you'll come for his neck! Is that true mom?"

"I won't hurt him babe. I'll yell at him though, make him cry a little bit." Bri laughed. "As long as you listen to him and he protects you. I won't have a reason to yell at him."

"Can dad come over for dinner one night?" Javier sat up as he looked at his brother and mom. "Just like Happy does?"

"Yes, he can come over for dinner." She nodded and smiled. "He can come on Friday when we have the little fiesta you wanted to have."

"Yes! I'm gonna tell him right now! Can I use your phone?" Javier bounced off the bed and grabbed his mom's phone off her nightstand. "I'll bring it right back. I promise mom!"

"Have fun." Bri smirked as she turned her attention on Creed. "Your brother is a little neurotic sometimes. I think he gets that from me. I'm trying to figure out where you get your demeanor from. You don't like talking, you just like to stare and observe. How do you look like a Teller but act like you're a Lowman? Huh? Your meanie faced uncle rubbed off on you huh?"

"He just has nothing to talk about yet." Jax dropped onto the bed next to Brianna and took Creed from her. "I thought you were going to try to get in some sleep babe."

She shrugged. "My sons kept me up. Javi was worried about Creed standing on my belly, Creed was just giving me this glare that I can't handle and the twins are just kicking up a storm and giving me acid reflux." She shook her head. "They're already ganging up on me. It's a damn mess." She laughed. "Did you have a good workout and shower?"

"Oh, so you're admitting right now that Monica is easier to raise than the boys? That's what I'm hearing babe." He chuckled as he looked at her. "I had a great workout and an ok shower. I just wish you were in the shower with me."

"Oh well, you know. She has her difficulties but she's been easier to deal with lately. She's slowly coming into her own and it doesn't hurt that Happy checks in to make sure she's doing what she's supposed to be doing." The brunette sighed. "You need to start toting Creed around with you everywhere. Also, you need to meet the new nanny I hired."

"When did you hire a nanny?" Jax looked at the brunette before shaking his head. "Have I really been that disconnected from you Brianna? I'm sorry…"

"I hired her a little while ago. She came into the clinic, needed some help, helped her and then she confided that she didn't have the means to pay. You know I'm all about helping out my fellow woman, so I offered her a job as the nanny. She currently only picks up Monica and Javi to take them to school, then she picks them up from school, takes them to their activities. When the twins come, she's going to basically be our live in nanny. So don't be typical and try to bang the nanny."

"Did you at least run a background check on her before you let her take the kids?" Jax sighed. "Ignore me. That was a dick statement. I'm not going to fuck the nanny." He chuckled as Creed leaned forward and bit the tip of his nose before giggling. "Apparently our son thinks biting is something to giggle about."

Bri propped herself up on her pillows and looked at the man. "Of course I did a background check Jackson. I'm not stupid. She's clean, she checked out, she's drug free and I like her alot. She's from Barbados. I love her little accent, her name is Narissa, she's twenty-four, she's working to save up money to support herself and her daughter who is currently living with her parents because she couldn't afford to keep her out here any longer. Isn't that fucking sad? She can't afford to keep her daughter but she's still fighting to make a living and save up. I want to help her reach that dream. Since she'll be living with us, she'll be able to save up more for a place. I'll help her with that too. I also let her use that god awful Benz that I thought was a good idea to buy, for transportation to get the kids around. I know, I'm being too nice but I still have faith in humanity."

"I want to meet her before you have her moving in." He kissed her temple and smiled. "I'm going to do my best to be here for you and our kids."

"This brings me to my next topic. I want to move back into the Fortress. I know we just moved here but Jax, it's not what I thought it'd be. I thought I could make this big ass sacrifice for you but after being here awhile, I realized that you haven't been making the same sacrifices, so I want to move back but there's one slight problem… Raisa, is keeping me locked out of the house. Says it's some legal shit." The brunette sighed. "I'm going to do everything in my power to kick her ass out of there though."

He nodded slowly before turning his head to look at her. "Will us moving back to Oakland make you happy? What about the kids' school? It'd be unfair to move them back to a school there when they love where they're at."

"It'll make me happy. I thought about it, they can stay at their current schools. We have Narissa, she can drive them, make the short commute." Bri nodded. "I think we should keep this house, rent it out. It'll be another source of income. I just need you to make this sacrifice for me Jackson. I have to know that you're invested in me, in us, the relationship and our family."

"I'm here to make this work. I love you Brianna. You have to know that. I'll move back with you. I don't want to lose you, Creed, the twins. I want to be in their lives. I don't want this to be how it is with Abel, where I have no place in his life at all." Jax sighed. "I will make this sacrifice for you. I love you babe."

"I called him!" Javier jumped back into the big bed. "He said he'll be here for fiesta Friday mom. I'm so excited. Jax, my dad is coming to dinner on friday. That's in _four_ days! I asked Monica and she showed me on the calendar."

"That's awesome buddy." Jax nodded as he looked at Javier. "I know it'll be a fun dinner on Friday. I bet you and him can eat at least twenty tacos together!"

"I think we can eat a hundred." Javier cuddled into Jax's side and nodded. "We got big appetites. I'm going to sleep! Only three more sleeps and then he'll be here. I love you mom. Love you Jax. Night."

Bri chuckled before kissing her son's forehead. "I love you too baby. Goodnight, I will remind myself to make a lot of tacos for you and your dad to eat." She smiled at him. "Sleep well baby. Jax, Creed and I will be joining you in dreamland soon enough."

* * *

 **AN: Ah, yeah. This was a short filler chapter while I try to get my muse back.**


	46. Kozik

**April 14, 2014**

"Whatcha looking at Mo?" Javier looked over his older sister's shoulder as she flipped through a photo album. "Who's that and who's the baby huh?"

Monica tilted her head back to look at her brother and smiled. "That's Elijah when he was younger and that baby is me." She nodded. "It's when he was still like a part of my life." She flipped the page and grinned. "I like this picture the most. It's me, mom and Elijah. We kinda look like a family huh?"

"How come Elijah isn't your dad?" He ran his fingers through Monica's hair and sighed. "Your hair is soft like mom's hair is."

"Because he didn't want to be my dad." The brunette shrugged as she pulled her brother into her lap and placed the photo album on his. "This is my first dad, his name is Max. You see, I got my eyes from him. I only have a few pictures of him holding me but he's gone now. He's chilling with the angels amongst the clouds. This is one of the first pictures I have with my second dad, he's not with angels, he's kinda just hanging out with the demons underground. Happy is my third dad, he's the best one I could've asked for. He's loved me the best and I'm not even his blood daughter."

"I don't get it, you have three but I have one! That's not fair." Javier shook his head as he looked at the pictures. "I don't get it."

Monica shook her head. "No, no babe. I only have Happy. He's my only dad. The other two are gone. They don't live on earth anymore. They're somewhere else. It's like how mom made us give our old toys away, they're not here but someone else has them. That's what happened." She sighed. "They're with new families now."

"Oh." Javier nodded slowly. "I'm sorry they went to new families but you have Happy, and us. We love you Monica. We won't leave you ok?" He kissed her forehead and smiled. "You're my favorite sister even when you act like a meanie face. Don't cry, ok?"

She nodded as she hugged her brother. "I know you guys won't. I love you Javier." She kissed his forehead and smiled. "I'm not crying, I promise."

"What are you two in here doing?" Bri poked her head into Monica's room and sighed as she noticed the siblings in a solid embrace as tears rolled down Monica's cheeks. "Alright, both of you come here." She moved further into the room and sat down on the bed. "Tell me what's going on right now.."

"I was showing him pictures of my dads." Monica wrapped her arms around her mom's neck and buried her face in her hair. "I didn't know how to explain them being _gone_ to him so I told him they got new families. He told me not to be sad or cry because I have Happy and you guys who love me."

"He won't understand that for a while longer." Bri rubbed her daughter's back and sighed. "We do love you. So, so much Monica. You're our everything."

"I know but look at him, he's just flipping through that book." Monica shook her head. "I love you mom."

"I love you too." Bri hugged her daughter tightly and smiled. "Go, tell him more stories about the pictures. I need to make a call and start on lunch for you two. I'll bring it up when it's done."

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"She's breaking my heart dad." Bri looked up at her dad as she set a plate of food in front of him. "She's distanced herself so much from Elijah, it's insane."

"We're talking about Monica, right?" Aleksandr looked at his daughter before down at the plate of food. "Why are you even cooking? Look how pregnant you are my dear. You don't even look like you should be able to stand upright."

"Yes, dad. I'm talking bout Monica." The brunette shrugged. "I'm in pain all the time from this shit. I just learn how to kinda deal with it because what is sitting around and bitching about it going to do? Nothing at all."

He shook his head. "I think you need to take it easier for the sake of your body and the twins. I don't need to be called one night saying you're stuck on bed rest in a hospital because you didn't know your limits. Brianna, I know you want to continue to be strong and handle everything yourself but you can always ask for help."

"Dad, you know how I get when I can't do shit. That's why I'm doing the arms business thing, it's in my blood, that's fun. I just need to keep my mind busy. I also need your help. I'm trying to get Raisa the fuck out of my house! She served me with some paperwork talking about how the house is hers because she's lived in it for so long, some fucking Cali squatter law." Bri shook her head. "Dad, I want my Fortress back."

"Did you just whine?" He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll get your sister out of your home. It won't take much but a cash offer because she's a money hungry little thing. This is why your father left you everything because you have a good head on your shoulders."

She shrugged. "I thought I got all his money because he just loved me the most. I do spend it like it's endless."

"He did love you the most." Aleksandr nodded. "He also loved Nik quite a lot a well."

"At least he was stopped before he got the idea to force her into a marriage." Bri nodded. " Enough of this conversation though. I just want to let you know that I love you and I'm going to take a nap but also, be on standby because I need you to help Elijah with something."

"Should I be afraid?" He looked at his daughter as she started to walk out of the kitchen. "Brianna!"

 **April 18, 2014**

Elijah moved through the dark hallway silently and with purpose. He had received a call from Brianna a day prior, asking for a single favor. _Scare the shit out of Kozik_. He was all too eager to oblige the most simple request, taking it as a step in the right direction between him and the woman he considered to be his best friend, even if he didn't entirely have all her trust anymore.

He moved into the dorm room, closing the door behind him as he shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over the back of the desk chair before he walked to the side of the bed and turned on the lamp. Smirking as he watched Kozik stir briefly. "Herman." He spoke softly as he began rolling his sleeves up. "Wake up call for Herman Kozik."

Kozik groaned and swatted at the air as he tried to ignore the voice. "Go away Tig, I don't have time to fuck around with you."

"Oh, you wish it were Tig standing here in this room with you." Elijah tapped the man on his forehead. "A little birdy told me that you've been marked."

The man shot up from his bed, his blue eyes wide with panic as he saw Elijah standing beside him. "Wait, wait. I was only joking with her man!"

"She didn't take it as a joke." He shook his head as he pulled his gun and knife from their holsters. "So, how would you like to die? By gun or by knife." He held both up, a sinister smiled on his face as he watched Kozik scramble out of bed and towards the door. "Now, now Herman. You're going to make me chase after you I see."

"Shit, no man. I don't want this. I was joking with her! I'm sorry, alright. I shouldn't have disrespected her!" Kozik shook his head as he pulled open the door and tried to dart out of it, only to bump into something solid. "Shit, man. Shit." He rubbed his head as he stared up at the figure that walked into the room. "She sent you too?"

"No, she only wanted Elijah here but when I heard how you disrespected her, I had to invite myself along on this trip." Aleksandr bent down, grabbing a hold on the front of Kozik's tank top and pulled him to his feet. "I couldn't let him have _all_ of the fun."

"How'd you two even get in here huh?" Kozik looked between the two men who were closing in on him. "We lock the gates and the clubhouse doors after a certain time."

"We're the best of the best. Do you really think some gate and locks will stop us?" Elijah shook his head and smirked. "If you did think that, then you are sadly mistaken my man." He cocked his gun and held it to the man's head. "I chose for you, you're dying a coward's death." He pressed the trigger, sending out a barely audible sound.

"Oh fuck." Kozik clenched his chest as he looked at Elijah. "Oh, fuck."

Elijah chuckled. "Oh, come on now Mr. Kozik, I know you can take a joke." He smiled as he lowered the gun. "Brianna sent us here as a joke to scare your ass into thinking twice about fucking around with her. You disrespect her again and next it won't be a joke. So, I suggest the next time that you see her, you make amends. Treat her like the Queen she's supposed to be treated like around here."

"I suggest you heed his advice Kozik." Aleksandr patted the man on his back. "To think, I used to like you at one point in time. You've disrespected my daughter twice already and if were up to me, you would've been gone the first time. Lucky for you, Bri seems to have this kindness but if you do fuck up again. You'll be answering to us. Goodnight, sweet dreams."

"That was fun." Elijah grabbed his jacket and followed Aleksandr out of the room. "I still am surprised that Brianna called me for this. I would've thought she would've opted to use Anthony instead. It seems like she's grooming him for something big."

"She's slowly but surely coming around." Aleksandr nodded. "I know it's a strain and it's weird for her not to need you around all of the time. Also, she's shifting Anthony into a head suit position, letting him bring in some of his own recruits but that's all I know. I'm more into helping her start up her arms dealer business and staff her clinic with dependable doctors, since she's no longer wanting to accept new patients."

"I was not aware that she had that going on atop of her pregnancy." Elijah shook his head as they walked out of the clubhouse and towards the gate. "I wish her nothing but the best on those endeavors."

"You two are pitiful, it's like you guys ended a relationship that lasted over a decade." Aleksandr shook his head. "Oh, wait. You two did. You broke up with her by not talking to her and now she's bitter about it even though she accepted your apology and agreed to work on shit."

Elijah nodded as they easily scaled the gate. "It was never my intention to make things messy between Brianna and I. I was just making sure Jacey was good and happy-" He stopped mid statement as Aleksandr held his hand out.

"I am not involved in this. I don't need an explanation." Aleksandr shook his head. "I like to stay out of any drama. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to be pulled into it. I have high blood pressure and all of you make it rise extensively when you start talking about relationships. That's how I feel about it."

"Understandable." Elijah sighed as he moved towards his Audi. "I'll talk to you later, I suppose."

The man nodded. "Don't look so downtrodden Elijah. You have what you've always wanted, Jacey and a family with her. It was just premade for you both. Be happy and I'm sure Bri will fully trust you again over time. That's all the advice that I'm giving you."

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"So, I just got a call from Kozik." Jax looked at the brunette sitting in bed beside him. "Apparently Elijah and Aleksandr paid him a visit. You know anything about that?"

Bri looked at her boyfriend and smirked. "He was disrespectful to me, so I decided he needed to find out exactly what Elijah is around for. Mayb Kozik will think twice the next time he makes a comment about me being pregnant or what I've done in the past. So, you know, don't look at me. Maybe this is a sign that you guys need better locks on the gates and clubhouse."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I can't even be mad at you right now. He deserved the scare, it just freaked him out when Elijah shot at him with an empty pistol."

"Empty huh? That's interesting." She smiled as she grabbed his hands and placed them on her belly. "Tell your sons to stop being so active so I can take my ass to sleep. I just wanna have a few hours of sleep before they wake me up again with their shit."

Jax nodded as he rested his head on her chest and stroked her belly softly. "Alright guys, you heard her. Go to sleep. She needs a nap and I suggest you two hurry up and get comfortable in there so she can do the same." He smiled. "I love you Bri."

"I love you too." Bri nodded as she trailed her fingers through his hair and smiled. "I love you guys too. Even if you're kicking the shit out of me. Goodnight. Sweet dreams. I'll see you later this morning. I'll also feed you evil things later too."

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 **AN: Hello, how are you? I'm good. lol Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope that you've enjoyed this short but awesome update. Bear with me as I continue to find my muse and get this story back on track.  
**


	47. Doctor

**April 24, 2014**

Jax Teller backed his bike into the parking spot next to his girlfriend's pearl white Land Rover. Shaking his head at the mere size of the SUV before he took his helmet off and placed it on the handlebars. This was his first doctor's appointment he'd be going to, one that was long overdue. He didn't even know how far along Bri was in the pregnancy and that alone made him feel even more like shit. He had done nothing but distance himself from her the moment he found out he had gotten her pregnant. It was scary but the thought of losing her and his kids was scarier.

"Hey, I'm not late am I?" He flashed a smile at Bri as he approached her. "I'm sorry if I am Brianna."

Bri shook her head. "You're not late. I just barely got here. You ready to see the twins or do you wanna just wait until they're born?" She smirked at him. "You know I'm gonna give you shit about it. You missed the first six appointments and the first four ultrasounds. You may have a picture of them but you've never really gotten to hear their little heartbeats."

He nodded as he rested his hands on her belly and sighed. "I deserve to get shit for it. I'm sorry for not being present." He kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's go." He took Creed from her arms and smiled. "You've been to every appointment huh Creed?"

"Mama!" Creed smiled as he pointed towards Bri. "Mama!"

Jax looked down at his son and shook his head, feeling himself grow even heavier with guilt. "I didn't know he could say that."

"It's new." Bri looked back at her boyfriend, her eyebrows stitching together. "He usually rattles off Javi, Monica, Hap. He's a little jerk when he wants to be." She shrugged her shoulders. "He's said _dada_ a few times though. Other than that, he's usually quiet as hell."

He nodded as he looked at Creed and smiled. "You gonna let me hear you rattle off _dada_? I need to hear it to make myself feel better." He shook his head as he watched Bri sign in before they took a seat in the waiting area. "I feel like shit because I've been distant. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, we're moving forward." Bri nodded as she watched Creed squirm off of Jax's lap. "He likes playing with those little puzzle things and I hate it so much because of all the damn germs just floating around. I don't want him getting sick. It'd go through the whole house."

The man nodded as he watched his son start to pick up the pieces of the large puzzle. "What does he do with the pieces? I know he doesn't know how to put it back together just yet."

"He mostly stacks them up and pushes them over. He's a boy, he likes watching the pieces fall to the floor." She smiled. "He is perfect though. I can't complain about him not one bit."

"Alright, Bri, come on back." The nurse smiled at the brunette. "Hey Creed!"

Bri stood up from her chair and smiled. "Hey Niecy. I brought the boyfriend this time too." She pointed to Jax. "Jax, this is my good friend and doctor Niecy."

Jax stood up, lacing his fingers through Bri's. "Nice to meet you Niecy."

"Same." She smiled at Jax. "Come on back. I'll get you set up and we can check on those boys of yours. See if they're still in there holding hands." Niecy walked ahead of the couple, smiling as she watched Creed toddle past her. "I still can't believe he's walking so well. You were still carrying him the first time you came in for a scan."

"He won't stop either. He just wants to go and go and go." Bri chuckled as she walked into the exam room. "He's my little busy body. Isn't that right Creed?" She looked down at her son and pinched his cheek.

"Right up on the table, belly out." Niecy washed her hands and pulled on a pair of gloves. "You still in a lot of pain my love? I know you were complaining about back pain and a whole lot of aches."

She nodded as she laid back on the table and sighed. "Pain is still present. It's becoming more prominent but sometimes I'm able to ignore it."

"Yeah, well that comes with being pregnant with twins, they wear on the body more but I would still recommend delivering them as close to the due date as possible but if it becomes too painful, we'll admit you to the hospital and see how everything plays out." Niecy smiled as she started moving the device over Bri's belly. "Look at them, they're still holding hands Brianna."

"My boys." Bri smiled. "I already know they're going to be trouble already. Inseperable little demons."

"They're big." Jax nodded as he looked at the screen. "Wow."

"Very big." The doctor smiled. "They're eating well, growing quickly. Happy, healthy baby boys."

"Mason and Noah." Bri pointed to the screen. "The bigger one, the one on the left, that's Noah. He isn't as problematic as Mason. Mason like to move around all the time. He'll put his head at the front of the womb and kick his feet into my organs. He's a little asshole."

"I told Bri that she can't possibly tell the difference between the two of them but she obviously knows who is who." Niecy passed Jax a few pictures. "They don't seem to be identical twins either."

"I'm their mom, it's my job to know the difference between the two of them." She smiled and nodded. "Good, they don't need to be identical. I'll be able to tell the difference even better than I can now."

"Babies!" Creed smiled up at his mom. "Babies!"

"Yes! Two babies!" Bri smiled back at him. "You're gonna be an amazing big brother Creed. It's going to be fun for you baby!"

"Mama!" He clapped. "Hi Mama!"

"Someone is in a good mood." Jax lifted up his son and set him on the exam table next to Bri. "There's your mama."

"My love!" Bri sat up and hugged her son to her chest. "We're done here, yeah? I'll see you in two weeks."

"Yes." Niecy nodded as she hugged Bri. "Come in sooner if you're in too much pain. Jax make sure she takes it easy. I don't want her stressing herself and the babies out. I want all three of them to stay healthy and happy."

Jax nodded and smiled. "I'll make sure she takes it easy and doesn't stress out. Come on babe, let's go home."

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"Hey Brianna." Juice smiled at the brunette as he approached the front porch of the large home. "Javier ready?"

Bri nodded. "He's ready." She pointed to the front door before shrugging. "Just go in, he's in the living room playing with his cars."

"How have you been?" He sat down on the steps and looked up at her. "Well, I hope."

"I've been good." She smiled at him. "How about you?"

He shrugged. "I've been good, I've also been better." He smiled briefly. "I'll be gone for a little bit. A month or so. I just wanted to let you know ahead of time. Need to go inside for the club."

"Ok, that's fine." Bri nodded. "I'll make sure to tell him your on vacation or something. Javier! Your dad is here!"

"Thanks." Juice stood up slowly, watching as the screen door opened and his son rushed out. "Hey man!"

"Dad!" Javier smiled as he was lifted off his feet. "I got new cars! Mom bought me a whole bunch of hot wheels! I love them so much. I have like ten Mustangs now!"

Bri smiled. "I couldn't help myself. His teacher said he's doing so well in class that I had to spoil him a little bit. He's got the most gold stars out of his entire class. He's making me super proud every day."

"Right on." Juice kissed his son's head and smiled. "You'll be ruling the world in no time if you keep going to school and getting smarter. I can't wait to see it."

"I love school." Javier nodded as he was set back down onto his feet. "It's so fun. I just wish Cami went to school with me so she can make this girl, her name is Gia, make her stop following me around and trying to give me all her snacks. I don't appreciate it one bit dad."

"Oh, Gia likes you huh?" Juice shook his head. "Tell her you have a wife already."

"I told her." He sighed. "She doesn't care! Mama called her a homewrecker!"

"Yes I did." Bri nodded. "If I weren't pregnant, I'd go up to the school and scare the little hussy off."

"Mom is violent." Javier shook his head as he grabbed his dad's hand. "Help me get my bags. I decided to bring my other dinosaur too. Her name is Sera, she's Dino's wife. They met at Toys r Us!"

Juice smiled before looking back at Bri. "Cera and Dino huh?" He shook his head, following his son into the house and towards the stairs. "It's Cera a triceratops?"

"Yup." He nodded as he opened the door to his room. "See, she's a purple one and he's a grey one. It works out well." He grabbed the pair of stuffed dinosaurs before pointing to his bags. "I have my duffel and my backpack. I wanted to be like Monica. She always has both."

The man looked around his son's room and grinned. "Who cleans your room? I hope you clean this room like you clean your room at my place."

"I cleaned it." Javier declared proudly. "Mom doesn't like when it's messy, so I put all my toys away."

"Good." He lifted his son's bags. "Come on let's go. Hug your siblings, your mom and whoever else. Tell them you love them."

"Mo!" The four year old yelled as he walked out of his bedroom and towards his older sister's room. "Mo, I am leaving!"

Monica opened her door and looked down at her brother. "Without me?" She shook her head and poked her bottom lip out. "Man, I see how it is Javier. I thought you loved me!?"

"I do!" He nodded eagerly as he wrapped his tiny arms around her legs and looked up at her. "I'm going to my dad's! I'll be back, I promise ok? Don't pout!"

"Ok, since you're going to your dad's." She smiled at him. "I'll stop pouting. Have fun Javi. I love you."

"I love you too." Javier smiled. "I'll see you in two days. It'll go by fast. You still have Creed!"

Monica nodded. "Yeah but he's not as cool as you are." She kissed her brother's forehead and smiled. "He's also taking a nap in the middle of my bed, so let's not wake him up. "Go love on mom. I need to finish my homework."

He nodded as he hugged her legs one more time before backing away. "I will be back. I promise." He moved towards his dad, accepting his dinosaurs. "Come on." He walked down the stairs and back out the front door, moving towards his mom. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too." Bri smiled at her son as she kissed his forehead. "Have fun. Call me if you miss me too much. I love you baby boy. Juice I know I don't have to tell you this but take good care of my baby. I'll be upset if anything happens to him."

Juice gave the brunette one nod. "I also do. Later Brianna."

"Bye mom." Javier waved at this mom and gave her a goofy smile that matched his dad's perfectly. "See ya in two days!"

Bri sighed as she watched the pair move to Juice's tiny Honda Civic and get in before she turned her attention to the presence beside her. "My baby just left me. I miss him already and he's only thirty feet away."

Jax sat next to his girlfriend, rubbing her stomach lazily. "He'll be back in two days." He smiled at her. "It's not too terrible. You have Monica, Creed, the twins, me." He kissed her cheek softly. "We're not Javier but we're not too bad."

"I love you all it's just a little sad to see him leave. I know it's coming but it gets me a little sad each and every time. I do however trust Juice. That's saying a lot since I really can't stand the fucker most of the time." Bri sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose before groaning. "I can't believe that my nose continues to expand while I'm pregnant. Look at it."

"Your nose is still perfect." He kissed her nose and smiled. "I also think it's good that you're giving Juice a chance to be in Javier's life. Even though he keeps being an asshole to you at times."

"Like I said. I'm never going to take Javi from his dad unless Juice does something to harm my child. I can deal with him being an asshole to me but as soon as he hurts Javier, then we're going to have major problems." Bri shrugged. "You're gonna stay out here with me, while I nap and soak up the sunshine?"

Jax nodded as he pulled the brunette onto his lap. "I'll stay with you. This is exactly where I want to be right now."

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 **AN: It's short but much needed. A lovely filler chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.  
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	48. Hurting

**May 13, 2014**

"Happy, happy birthday!" Bri smiled at her son. "You're five today! My big boy you keep getting bigger and bigger, older and older." She placed kisses all over his face and chuckled as he gave her a small smile before turning over in bed. "What's wrong my love? Are you sick? Does your tummy hurt?"

Javier nodded. "Yes, my tummy hurts mommy." He sat up slowly before crawling towards her and staring at her. "I want love and cuddles. Make me feel better."

She nodded as she pulled him into her arms, settling him against her the best she could with her massive belly in the way. "I'll make you feel better. We'll get you some medicine and you'll take a short nap then you'll be feeling better and can open your presents."

"Make me better." He buried his face in his mom's neck and whimpered. "It hurts."

Bri stood up and adjusted the five year old before moving out of his bedroom and towards the stairs. "Dad! Dad! Dad! I need your help right now! Come quickly please!"

"What's wrong!?" Aleksandr rushed up the stairs stopping to see his daughter sitting on the floor cradling Javier. "Jesus, this is Monica all over again. Your kids like being sick on their birthday." He lifted Javier from Bri's arm and shook his head at the protest she made. "Come on, let's get him checked out. We can call everyone on the way if you want to."

The brunette nodded as she stood up. "There's no one to call, just Juice." She wiped at her face. "He has a fever, I can tell dad. I didn't even see this coming. He was fine yesterday. He was running around, laughing, having fun."

"He's going to be fine. It's probably his appendix, just like it was with Monica." He took the stairs three at a time, glancing back to see his daughter still wiping at her face. "Brianna, come here. He's going to be fine. He's sick, he's not dying. He's going to be fine."

"I know but I still hate seeing my babies sick. He's so sick that he's not his usual self." Bri shook her head as she grabbed her purse before stopping. "Shit, shit. Creed. I have to make sure Jax and Monica know we're leaving. I'll call on the way there. Just go, come on. We need to get him to the ER."

"Brianna, I need you to relax." Aleksandr looked down at the brunette once he finished settling his grandson in his seat. "You need to keep it together for Javier. I'll make the call to Jax to make sure he knows to watch Creed and Monica while we're making sure Javier is getting the best medical treatment ever."

"I'm relaxing." She climbed into the backseat and held Javier's hand. "You're going to be ok Javier. I promise babe."

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"I told you he'd be fine." Aleksandr hugged his daughter as he watched the doctor walk away from them. "He's just miserable and sick."

"He's five and has the kissing disease dad." Bri shook her head. "I told him not to share anything with anyone at school and he obviously didn't listen. I called the teacher, five other kids have it. I guess they've been sharing water bottles."

The man chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You were thirteen when you got mono. You swore you were dying and that your insides were leaking out of your ears because you were so miserable. He's gonna get over this and he's going to never get it again."

"I was dying. It was painful. I couldn't do anything but lay around and you know how active he is. He can't play any real sports for a month and he's just now starting baseball dad." She sighed as she sat on the bed and looked at Javier. "I'm sorry you're sick on your birthday baby. You'll feel better with sleep and water though my love."

"You're a damn drama queen, that's what you are." Aleksandr shook his head. "I'll call your sister and have her come up here with a change of clothes."

Bri shook her head. "Call Nik."

"I was talking about Jacey." The man grabbed his daughter's face and turned it to face him. "Who started what this time?"

She shrugged as she fought back tears. "She told me she didn't want me around anymore. That I'm no longer welcome in her home and to say goodbye to the kids." She shook her head as she knocked his hand away from her face. "I don't know how it ended up as us breaking up but it fucking happened and my heart has never hurt more dad. It's worse than the heartbreak from Juice and Dani combined…"

He nodded slowly as he pulled the brunette into a tight hug and rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry my love. I don't even know what to say. I know I suggested that you two go your separate ways but I assumed that the therapy helped you both and that you were going to get stronger and not fall apart." He shook his head. "If it it's meant to be then you two will come back together."

Bri nodded as she buried her face in her dad's chest and sighed. "It just hurts so damn much and I don't know what to do because half of me wants to go back over there and make up right now but the other half is just so sick of the fighting over stupid shit. Maybe this will be good for us. We'll be apart a week or two, it's only ever a short amount of time then we'll make up and be stronger than ever."

"I hope so." Aleksandr nodded as he rubbed the brunette's back. "I think it'll be good for you both. It'll give you two time to think about everything and honestly see what you want to do in the future."

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"I know you're sick my love." Bri held Javier as close to her as her belly would permit her to. "It's your birthday though baby. I want you to know that we all love you and will baby you until you feel better in a week or so. You can open your presents when you're better, we'll also get you a new cake then too." She nodded as she kissed his forehead, tucking his hair behind his ears. "Cut your hair if you want to as well."

Javier nodded as he looked his mom, his hand going up to her face as he caressed her cheek. "I hurt all over mom." He shook his head. "Even my teeth hurt!"

She furrowed her brows and nodded. "I know you do baby. I know you're hurting." She ran her head over his head again and sighed. "You'll start feeling better once the medicine is in your system. I promise, ok? I know what you're going through, I had this too. It's uncomfortable and it's going to make you feel tired for a little while but the pain doesn't last. I promise."

"You promise?" He kissed her nose. "My eyes hurt."

She nodded. "I promise my love." She kissed his nose and smiled. "You're going to get better baby. I love you. We'll get out of here soon and you'll be in your own bed. You won't be able to kiss on Cam for a while but you'll still be able to hug her."

"My babe." Javier sighed as he curled up against his mom, resting a tiny hand on her belly. "I can't wait to be better. I need a kiss from my girl."

Bri rolled her eyes. "It'll go by fast, I promise." She nodded. "I love you baby."

 **May 16, 2014**

"Sweet, sweet victory." Bri smirked at her older sister Raisa. "Nice try on trying to keep me out of my home sis. You should've known that I'd get it back."

Raisa shrugged. "It was fun while it lasted but, I think I'm a winner. I got cash." She smirked at the younger brunette. "Have that god awful house back. I'll find something nicer in the neighborhood."

"That's fine by me. Get your own place. I'm just happy that I have my fortress back. It's been mine for nearly ten years." Bri smiled up at the massive home and sighed. "My twins will grow up here, just like their siblings." She rubbed her belly as she moved towards the front door and opened it, walking in slowly.

"Welcome home my dear." Aleksandr smiled at his daughter. "She painted your office a hideous green color."

"She did what!?" The brunette shook her head. "Green? I like monochrome color schemes in my home. Oh lord." Bri rubbed her temples. "Paint it back white, please dad."

He nodded. "Of course I will paint it back. Other than that, everything is pretty much how you left it when you moved out." He grinned. "How does it feel to be home?"

"Feels amazing. I should have never left." Bri sighed. "Now, I'm four months away from delivering the twins. I need to get their nursery set up as quickly as possible. I want another monochromatic colorway with a pop of color. I'm thinking silver, blacks, a pop of a royal purple in the form of purple baseboards."

The man shrugged. "Whatever you want, we will make it happen." He nodded. "One small problem, you'll be living next to the sister you're no longer speaking with."

"Oh yeah." She nodded. "Still, take it back to where it was before. I'll move in when Jacey and I patch things over. We always work things out and come back stronger than ever. It'll take a little while but it'll happen. I know it. Maybe a week or a month but no longer than that dad."

"I hope so because it'd be terrible for you to get your home back only for you to avoid moving back in because of your sister." Aleksandr shook his head before looking back at the sound of a throat clearing. "I guess that's my cue to leave. I'll be checking out the garden, see if she left it intact."

"Oh, she better have." Bri smiled as she looked back at Jax. "What're you doing here my love?"

Jax shrugged as he moved further towards his girlfriend. "Creed, Javi and Monica wanted their mom. Apparently they team up against me when I don't give them the whole box of fruit snacks for snack time." He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "They're vicious babe."

She laughed and nodded. "So, you let them just bully you into your truck and drive here? Babe, you have to learn to stand your ground. Especially with Monica and Javier. I know they're not your kids but you can still tell them no and stick with it." She reached out for his hand and smiled. "Next time stand a little firmer babe."

"Pretty much." He nodded as he pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on her head. "I can't help but give in when they decide to gang up on me." He shook his head. "Especially Creed, little fucker gets me everytime with the _no dada_."

"You're letting your nearly one year old tell you no? You're a softy Jackson Teller." Bri laughed as she buried her face in the man's neck. "Letting the kids be the parents. Javi isn't even supposed to have a lot of fruit snacks, he's still under the weather."

Jax rolled his eyes. "I just want to have a good relationship with Creed, Mason, Noah, Javi and Monica. I don't know how I went from one estranged child to having five but I can deal with that. I love them all. I can't wait to see what blonde haired and blue eyed children you pop out." He rubbed her belly and smiled. "You know that they're going to be two more carbon copies of me. It's bound to happen."

"Oh. My. God." She rolled her eyes and shook her head frantically as she looked up at the man. "I refuse to birth two more mini Jacksons. They're going to take after my side of the family this time. Brunettes with green or hazel eyes. It's bound to happen. I refuse to give you, Jacey and Nik another set of blondes to add to your squad."

"Speaking of Jacey… Why isn't she over here celebrating with you about getting the Fortress back?" His brows stitched together as he studied her face carefully. "What happened now? Who called whom a slut?"

"We broke up." Bri nodded. "She got upset, kicked me out of her house, told me I wasn't welcome anymore but I have hope that we'll work it all out." She shrugged as she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "Don't make me talk about it and don't go over there and make a fuss about it. We broke up but we'll work it out. We're sisters."

Jax nodded as he rubbed the brunette's back. "I won't stick my nose in it unless I absolutely need to do so." He kissed her forehead. "I love you Brianna."

"I love you too Jackson." She smiled. "Keep hugging me though. I miss your smell and all the hugs and kisses."

He couldn't help but laugh as he wrapped his arms tightly around the brunette. "If I squeeze any tighter, the twins may just pop on out." He guided them to the living room, dropping into the recliner before pulling Bri down onto his lap and wrapping his arms back around her as he laid his head on her shoulder. "I hate to admit this but I really do miss this house. It was honestly the first place I felt at home in years."

"I knew you loved this place." Bri laughed. "The Fortress in all it's dramatic glory is home to everyone at some point in their life. It's just how it is. You want to hate it based on what it looks like on the outside but it's home as soon as you step inside. No one can deny it. It just has a way of making you feel welcome."

"You're ridiculous sometimes." He laughed. "You just made this house sound like it's a living thing. Like it's a human."

She shrugged. "I mean, it's part of the family. We all missed it while we were away. So, don't judge me Jax." She laughed. "It's perfect. It's _our_ home. You just need to make yourself a designated space."

Jax nodded. "If you would stop hogging all the garage space, I'd like to take half of it."

"See, open communication. You can have half of the garage." Bri nodded. "You can have half of the garage. I'll move the Audis out and you can move your Harleys in."

"Thank you." He smiled as he pressed on her belly, smiling as he felt his sons kick at his hands. "Active as hell."

She smirked. "They are but don't do that again unless you want me to pee on you because that's what'll happen if they keep kicking. I won't be able to pop up and waddle away in time." She laughed and covered her face. "Being pregnant is the last time and I already talked to my doctor about getting my tubes tied after I deliver."

Jax rolled his eyes as he pressed on her stomach again and smirked. "I deal with other people's blood being on me. I've been peed on by Javier and Creed before. I can handle you peeing on me Brianna. Just let me know and I'll cup my hands for you." He laughed as he buried his face in her hair.

Bri chuckled as she ran her fingers through her boyfriend's hair. "That's true love right there. If I feel the urge, I'll let you know so you can cup your hands for me." She shook her head as she settled in against him comfortably. "I love you so much."

* * *

 **AN: Hi, hi, hi. Hi to my consistent and loyal reviewers. I appreciated the feedback on the last few chapters. So I hope you enjoyed this one as well.**


	49. A Month

**June 10, 2014**

"It's been a whole _month_." Brianna murmured as she looked at her younger sister Nik and shook her head slowly, wiping at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "We haven't talked to each other at all… We really are broken up Nik."

Nik shook her head as she reached forward and cupped her sister's face in her hands. "Stop being stubborn and just go see her. I know she told you not to come over again but she's just as bad off as you are Bri. She's going through this shit too. She misses you, you miss her. One of you have to be adult enough to swallow your pride and just apologize. I know you are against being the bigger person but maybe this time you need to be since this isn't good for you or the twins. Plus, you're going to want her to be here for Creed's first birthday in a few days…"

The brunette nodded slowly before furrowing her brows. "I miss her so much Nik but I don't know. What if this is what we need? What if we need this time apart to realize just how much we need or don't need each other? I also didn't ban her from my home or life. She can still come to the little get together."

"We both know that she won't show up. If anything Happy will just bring the kids by." Nik sighed as she pulled her sister into a hug. "You two need to hurry up and hug it out."

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"Brianna." Jax rubbed his forehead as he looked down at the brunette who was currently sitting in the middle of their king sized bed, paperwork spread in a circle around her as she focused on her laptop. Gone were her usual contacts and in their place, a pair of black glasses were perched on the end of her nose. "What's going on babe? Talk to me."

"I miss Jacey." Bri mumbled. "I don't know what to do. I want to run over there but then I don't want to make shit worse if she was really serious about me not being welcome. I don't know Jax, it just sucks. So, I'm trying to keep busy. These are all the current gun orders and all of the current stock we have. The store is already doing so well and I'm happy about it because it's what I've wanted. I want to do the Hohrykova name proud."

He nodded slowly as he picked up an inventory list and scanned it quickly. "Would you ever be interested in selling guns to the club. Or having them run guns for you?"

The brunette looked at her boyfriend and shrugged. "My business is straight and very legal. If you're asking for a favor just be upfront about it and I'll introduce you to someone who can help on _that_ level…"

"I think you need to go see my little sister, hug it out." He smiled. "Yeah? Who's the connection? Anyone I currently know?"

"I will think about that." Bri nodded. "Anthony. He's good with being a little corrupt at times. He's got the gift of being really good at being really bad. He's my go to. I'll tell him you need a favor from him. You two can talk, negotiate, you can present it to your club and he can talk to his suits. All that good stuff." She took the inventory sheet from his hands. "I see you over there salivating over that gun list."

He chuckled. "I wasn't salivating. I was admiring the hardware. I didn't even know half of these guns were legal to deal. It's eye opening. I think SAMCRO needs to get into being a legal arms dealer. I'm sure we have a prospect that has no criminal background."

She laughed and shook her head, neatly putting all of her paperwork into a stack before setting it onto the bench at the foot of the large bed. "The last thing I need is SAMCRO giving me competition. We're currently the number one arms dealer in the world and I plan to keep it that way. I love being on top and unstoppable."

"It wouldn't be competition. I want it to be a partnership." He moved behind the brunette and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "It could work babe, just think about it. Silent partners but partners nonetheless. I'm still fighting to get this club to be legal and earning straight. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder and having shit go wrong most of the time."

"I'll think about it. I'll have to talk it over with Alex since he's my partner currently but I'll definitely get back to you soon." Bri nodded as she rested back against Jax and sighed. "Our child is turning one in a matter of days and I'm absolutely torn up about it."

"I'm excited. He's walking, talking sometimes, he's growing up. I know it's bittersweet but you have to more sons that you can baby really soon." Jax kissed her cheek and smiled. "I need you to relax though. None of this will be bad when you're feeding two babies and Creed is playing with his cars. You'll be happy that he's getting older."

"You're right." She smiled. "This is a good thing. A great thing. It's going to take some adjustments for me to not want to revert to treating him like a baby but I'm gonna try my hardest to see him as my big boy."

 **June 13, 2014**

"I'm not crying right now. I swear that I'm not." Bri wiped at her face as she watched Creed pick up his cupcake and take a bite out it. Smearing blue and black frosting all over his face and chest as he enjoyed the dessert. "I can't believe he turned one. I can't believe it, not at all." She shook her head as she leaned against her dad and sighed. "That's my baby and he's gotten so big over the past year- Jesus, I knew I should've pulled his hair back. That's going to stain."

Aleksandr rolled his eyes. "You're a damn mess." He shook his head as he dried her face with his handkerchief and smiled. "He needs a haircut anyway. He's starting to look more and more like a version of Jacey and less like a version of Jax… Sorry."

The brunette shrugged. "It's alright. I didn't expect them to show up anyway." She shook her head a she looked up and saw Jax standing behind Creed. "I love them together. It's so perfect. They're little twins."

He nodded. "I just wish you two would've worked it all out by now. It's been three weeks too long in my opinion. I need you two to patch it all up." He looked down at her and smiled. "They're adorable. I'm glad he's been stepping his shit up. I thought I would have to intervene and kick his ass to get him into gear. I don't want to be on the outs with him like I am with Happy."

Bri rolled her eyes. "Can you please drop it? I don't want to talk about it right now. I really don't want to dad. Alright? We're on different paths. I have to accept it and I have to move on. I have to let her go. I gotta make sure she's happy." She shrugged. "He's getting there. He still had moments where I look into his eyes and see that he's completely overwhelmed by it all. It's not his place, it's not where he belongs. He shouldn't have a girlfriend, kids or _this_ life."

"Then why are you even with him?" Aleksandr looked down at his daughter. "If you don't think this is the life for him, why are you even trying with him Brianna?"

"Because I love him. I don't know dad because I'm stupid as fuck and just want shit to be good for all of us. I'm tired of failing at every single fucking relationship I get into." She shrugged. "I'm just hoping for the best dad. That's all I'm doing at this point. I'm not really focused on him too much. I'm focused on my kids because they're what's important to me."

"Fair enough." He nodded. "I won't bring it up again. I just hope that if for some reason it doesn't work again, that you won't keep beating a dead horse-"

"I don't think that's the saying dad." She laughed and shook her head. "I get what you're saying though but for now. Let's enjoy this party. Let's have fun and celebrate Creed turning one. He made it through his first year without being dropped on the head and he's happy and healthy. We won't have to have a make up party like we did with Javi."

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"Mom! Mom! Mom!" Monica shouted through the house as she walked into the living room, her bright green eyes landing on her mom sprawled out on the large sofa. "Mom! I am having a crisis right now!"

Bri rolled her eyes as she sat up and looked at her daughter. "What's wrong baby girl? Who did what to your room now? I told you to keep the door shut."

The elven year old huffed. "No. No. It's not sibling related. It's school related… I want to transfer out of Excelsior. Alright? I know I loved it at first but now I really hate it. It's just so, it's so _horrible_ mom."

"Come here." Bri held her arms out and sighed as she enveloped her daughter into a tight hug. "What's wrong? Who's messing with you at school."

"Everyone!" Monica shook her head. "They keep calling the family white trash and I mean, we're not even _that_ trashy. It's nonstop. They keep asking me when I'm going to get more cousin-siblings. I don't even know what those are."

She shook her head. "Babe, cousin-siblings are what you literally have. Camryn and Kol are technically _cousins_. Even though you're not blood but you're also siblings because Happy is your dad and theirs as well."

"Oh. My. God. I am white trash." Monica covered her face. "I need you to know that I'm not just gonna take any shit about this mom! If I stay at Excelsior something bad is bound to happen."

"Just stay close to Nicholas, I'm sure your little friend will fight for your honor." Bri kissed her daughter's face. "Also, watch your mouth. You know if your dad heard you cursing, he'd bat your little ass. I'm pretty sure I heard him threaten you about it plenty of times."

"I'm not talking to him right now." Monica stood up and wiped at her face. "He missed my photography showcase!"

"Stop shouting. Take that up with your dad." Bri shook her head. "Now, go to sleep. Or I don't know, do some homework and lose the attitude, you're not entitled to be this sassy, you still have a few years off from being a teen. Cherish the last days of your childhood because you'll be wanting them back when you're older."

 **June 20, 2014**

"Did you swallow a house?" Alex poked at Bri's stomach. "It looked like you've swallowed a blimp or twelve."

"Don't insult me." Bri slapped the man's hand away from her stomach as she lead him through the house and out into the backyard. "I brought you here to talk to Jax. He wants to be a silent partner, so I told him I'd talk to you but I thought it'd be better if you talked to him, listened to a proposal, heard him out, thought it over and then got back to him. I wouldn't be-."

The man nodded. "I'll listen to him. I'll hear him out Bri."

"Thank you." She smiled as she move towards Jax who was holding Creed. "Jax, Alex is here. He wants to hear your proposal on being a silent partner."

Jax nodded as he looked up at the pair. "This means a lot. I think it'd be a good partnership. I know you're probably a little bit weary about it. You know, bringing in an outlaw MC to be partners with you but I can assure you that we wouldn't be getting involved. It'll all be done between the three of us. We wouldn't even step foot into the store. I just want something legal for my club."

"It sounds interesting. You have to know that I'm all about my money." Alex pushed his sunglasses on the top of his head as he took a seat across from Jax. "Second, I'm about keeping things straight. I don't need any trouble coming my way. I don't even have a blemish on my record. I'm what you may call a nerd. I don't get in trouble and I plan on keeping it that way."

"I understand that. I'm about making money too. I also don't want to get either of you two in trouble. So that's why I want it to stay silent. We kick in some money that we've made _legally_. It won't be dirty money." He looked at the man. "Just think on it a bit. Both of you. It's no pressure and I'll understand if you say no to the idea."

Bri nodded as she looked between the men, sensing the tension between them rising quickly. "Alex will think about it. Thanks for coming." She smiled at him. "Get in touch with us. Alright, thanks for popping in."

Alex nodded as he stood up slowly, sensing what the brunette was up to. "I'll be in touch. Really soon. I'll see you both around. Take care."

"Yeah man, take care." Jax nodded, his blue eyes on the man as he disappeared into the house. "I don't like him. I hate him."

"Jesus." Bri shook her head. "He could be your future business partner but you hate him?"

"I don't have to like a man to do business with him. I can respect him if needed but I don't have to be friends with him." He shook his head. "He's a cocky fucker."

Bri laughed and shook her head again. "Takes one to know one." She smirked at her boyfriend. "You two keep being cute out here. I'm taking my pregnant ass inside for a nap. Be quiet when you come back in. I don't want to be woken up."

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 **AN: Delay on the update. Sorry about it. I also need a favor from everyone who reads it, send me a review or a pm, because I'm thinking of doing a time jump in the future and would like to know if that's something you all would be interested in reading. I'm thinking it'd be a few years in the future, where all the kids can talk and things are less emotional and hectic for all of my characters.  
**


	50. Promise

**July 4, 2014**

"We're on a boat." Monica shook her head as she looked back at her mom and smiled. "I can't believe that we're really on a boat! This is so awesome. This is a cool way to spend the fourth of July." She nodded eagerly as she dropped her bag onto the nearest seat and grinned. "Fireworks on the water."

Bri shook her head as she poked her dad's back. "See, I told you that she'd be happy about this boat thing. It's not always difficult to get a smile out of that one." She trailed her fingers through her long black hair and sighed as she sat down on the nearest bench and relaxed into the plush cushions. "I just don't think that me being pregnant on a yacht is a great thing. At least I'll be able to just yack overboard."

"I don't even know why you have a yacht. Why did you name it Anarchy?" Aleksandr shook his head as he sat down next to his daughter and grabbed her hands. "Was it because of Juice or Jax?"

"First of all, this isn't my yacht. I'm renting it for the day. Secondly, you know I'd come up with a way more creative name for my yacht." She shrugged as she ran her hands over her belly and sighed. "This is the last fun thing I'll be doing while pregnant besides Monica's upcoming birthday celebration." She smiled. "She's getting older and older. I love her so much."

He shrugged. "I mean it could happen. You could lose your creative edge for a moment, name a yacht Anarchy and paint it black… It's the you thing to do."

Bri scoffed as she flipped her hair. " _White_ is my go to color for anything and everything dad. Look at my 're all in white, look at my cars, my home office, my teeth." She laughed. "White is a good and sterile color. However, I do not like white at the clinic, it turns my patients into neurotic basket cases."

Aleksandr rolled his eyes. "I get the point. White is your color. You're a colorist if you ask me. I think you need to bring some brighter, more vibrant colors into your life. Take a cue from Monica, she's in all white but her sneakers give a pop of color. I'm in all white but my purple hat makes me more fashionable."

"Prejudice is the proper word dad." She shook her head as she watched Jax and Creed approach. "I'm going to kill you Jax and toss your body overboard for the sharks to enjoy. What do you have my son wearing? Why is he not wearing what he was in when I put him in the car? Did you seriously put him in the same outfit you're wearing?"

Jax chuckled and nodded as he lifted up his one year old and held him so he was facing his mom. "Yup. I changed his outfit, he wasn't happy in the getup that you had him in, so I made the decision to make him more comfortable. I also love when he's dressed like me, look at his face, his hair, those eyes, that infamous Teller smirk that you're always gushing over. He's perfect babe. Embrace Jackson Creed and his amazing style."

"I honestly forgot that you two named that boy Jackson Creed and not just Creed." Aleksandr shook his head as he stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I have a granddaughter to terrify by holding her upside down over the edge of the boat. You three enjoy yourselves. I'll be back soon."

"He's still feeling upset about his break up." Bri shook her head as she poked at her son's face, smiling as the little boy squirmed and giggled. "He's also upset that the _whole_ family isn't here on this yacht. Could you imagine that? Jacey and I would be fighting and I'd get pushed overboard. It'd be a clusterfuck."

He chuckled as he set the one year old down, watching him sway back and forth as he adjusted to the movement of the boat. "He's getting his sea legs. I love it." He shrugged. "I gotta talk to her one day, see what's happening in her life."

The brunette shrugged. "I'm focusing on our family and not dying from birthing these two monsters that you knocked me up with." She shook her head as she gestured to her stomach. "I'm shutting this factory down before we even leave the hospital. I already told the doctor that I want my tubes tied. I don't want anymore kids. I'm down after these two."

Jax nodded as he sat down next to the brunette, lacing his fingers through hers as he twisted the ring she was currently wearing on her finger. "Why'd you start wearing this ring again? I haven't seen it on your finger since before you even had Javier."

"Sentimental value." She shrugged again as she looked down at her hand. "It's from Jacey. I know it's stupid to wear it on the account she kicked me out of her home and essentially kicked me out of her life but I couldn't help myself." She slipped the ring off her finger and sighed as she stuffed it into her purse. "It's dumb."

"How about we replace it with this one." He held a ring box in front of her face and smiled. "It's not an engagement ring. It's a promise ring. A promise that I'll keep being a better man for you and the kids." He nodded as he took it out of the box and slid it onto her finger. "I was going to be cheesy and romantic later, give it to you right before the fireworks started going off but I figured I could do it now, give you something else to smile about." He kissed the brunette. "I love you Brianna."

Bri looked at the ring before looking at Jax. "I love it." She smiled as she pulled him into a hug. "I'm holding you to this promise though babe, so you need to stay on track." She poked at his face and grinned. "It's gorgeous. I love you baby."

"I love you too babe." He nodded. "You know you're perfect right? All rounded out and swollen."

"All rounded out and swollen." She laughed and shook her head. "You've got a way with words Teller."

"Hey, who knows maybe you'll be a Teller in the near future." He kissed her and smirked. "It'll be easier to say than Hohrykova."

"You love saying that though." She tapped on his cheek and smiled as she gave him a quick kiss. "I love you, you're a damn fool. That's for sure."

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"Can we keep this boat?" Javi looked at his mom before pushing on her stomach and smiling when they babies kicked his hands. "I want this boat mom."

Bri nodded. "We can buy this yacht. It'll be something fun to do over the summers when you all are growing up." She smiled down at him. "I'm sorry that Cam couldn't be here baby. I know how much you wanted to see her."

"I do miss her." He nodded as he crawled onto the seat next to his mom and sighed heavily. "I miss her so much mama! I miss my wife! How can she keep being my wife if I never get to see her? I just don't understand this."

She shook her head, her brows stitching together as she looked at her son. "I think I'll talk to her dad, see if he'll bring her over soon so you two can catch up and talk about Dino and Sera. How's your new friend though? She looks like she's having fun with Monica and Nicholas."

"Do it." Javi nodded eagerly. "I need to see my wife mom! She's fun. She's not Cam though. She doesn't like art like Cam does! She wouldn't even fingerpaint with me at all either. That's some bullshit."

"Ok, watch the mouth." Bri bit back a smile. "I'll get everything back together so you'll get your wife back babe. Just leave it to me, ok?"

"I will." He smiled. "How come my daddy couldn't be here? His job is so stupid mom."

"It's not that stupid." Jax shook his head as he lifted the little boy up from the seat and tossed him in the air. "He has to make money to take care of you, so he needed to work today."

Javier laughed as he squirmed in the man's arms. "He can get money from my mom, she has a lot of it. She just bought this _yacht_."

"Oh did she now?" He looked at this girlfriend and smirked. "Well, that's awesome but a dad needs to take care of his kids too. So he needs his own money. Plus, at the rate your mom is spending money, she'll be broke by the time you're twelve kid."

"No!" He shook his head. "I don't think so _Jackson_. She's always going to have a lot of money! I know so!"

"Yeah, Jackson." Bri looked at the man. "This cash flow is never ending."

"I believe it." He shrugged. "I do have a major concern though, that Nicholas kid, Monica's little _boyfriend_. He's a fucking troublemaker babe. I overheard them talking about swiping some cherry bombs…"

She shrugged. "Well, if they're going to set off cherry bombs later, let's hope that they don't blow off any fingers. I don't know what you want me to say here. I wasn't much older then her when I started seeing this kid, his name was Ivan. He was a slightly older and I was smitten. He ended up in juive though."

"That's the path that kid is on. Trust me, I know a delinquent." Jax shook his head. "I think we need to stop it."

"I think that if we stop it, it'll only make her want him more." Bri sighed. "If anything, if you want it stopped. You can go tell her that you don't think it's a good idea, you can be the bad cop for once. I'm trying to just parent from experience on this. I already know Happy is going to be against Nicholas."

"She's like eleven, she doesn't need a boyfriend." Jax sighed as he sat down next to Bri. "Right Javi? No boyfriend for your sister. She's too young!"

"Yeah mama!" Javier nodded eagerly. "She's way too young!"

"Oh, you two are teaming up now too?" Bri rolled her eyes. "Javi, if she can't hang out with Nick, then you can't very well be married to Cam or see her. We gotta play fair here, if she can't have a boyfriend then you can't have a wife."

"What!?" He covered his mouth and shook his head rapidly, his brown eyes staying on his mom. "If she doesn't get Nick then I don't get Cam!? Jax, I can't be on your team anymore. I can't lose my wife!"

Jax chuckled and nodded. "It's alright man. I understand it completely." He shrugged. "Keep your wife and I'll draft her dad to my team instead."

"Hey Bri, is it cool if we jump into the water since we're anchored here? Aleksandr said he'd go into the water with me and Mo." Nicholas smiled at the brunette.

"Yeah, if he's going in with you two then I don't see why not." Bri smiled. "Have fun."

"Thank you and thanks for having me here too." He grinned at the brunette before moving away from her and towards Monica and Aleksandr. "She said we can jump into the water as long as you're with us Aleksandr."

"I'm going in first." Monica nodded as she stepped onto the ladder before looking back at the pair. "I love the water, I'm basically a fish."

"More like a shark." Aleksandr tapped his granddaughter on the back and smirked. "Hurry it up, yeah? We all wanna get into the water too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The brunette looked back at her grandpa and glared. "Is that a bag thing grandpa?"

"It means that you're vicious." He shrugged as he pushed the brunette off the boat. "She's reunited with her real family now."

"There's actual sharks down there!?" Nicholas looked up at the large man before frowning as he jumped off the boat. "I'm coming for you Mons!"

"Young idiotic puppy love." Aleksandr shook his head as he looked back at his daughter. "We'll be swimming with the sharks if you need us."

"God, he's so moody." Bri shook her head as she looked down at Creed. "Your grandpa is a crazy man. Can you say Grandpa? Huh Creed?"

Creed smiled up at his mom. "Mama."

"Close enough." She chuckled as she pointed to Jax. "Who's that huh?"

"Dada!" Creed clapped his hands together as he reached up for the man. "Hi dada!"

"Oh, I'm getting traded in already." Bri rolled her eyes. "I see how it is my love. I'll remember that later when you're asking for a bottle later."

"No mama." He shook his head as he rubbed her cheeks. "Love you."

"He can say that?" Jax looked at his son and girlfriend. "He's going to be a mute again soon huh?"

"Probably." Bri nodded. "Leave him alone though. I love when he uses his words. My handsome blonde haired baby boy. I love you so much. I hope you remember that forever and ever." She smiled as the fireworks started going off. "Perfect ending to the perfect day with my family."

* * *

 **AN: Thank youu for the feedback. The time jump will happen soon. After the babies are born most likely. :) Thanks for the continued support.  
**


	51. A Threat & A Ring

**July 25, 2014**

"What are you two doing?" Jax crossed his arms as he walked into the backyard to find Monica and Javier elbow deep in the planter. "I don't think you're supposed to be back here uprooting her flowers."

Monica looked up at the man and shook her head, taking in the sight of the three other Sons scattered behind Jax. "We're not messing with the flowers. We're planting some new ones for the twins. Baby Breath." She smiled as she watched her younger brother's face light up at the sight of his dad. "She's going to be pissed off at you."

"Who?" He walked closer to the brunette, sidestepping Javier as he bolted towards the back porch. "Because of Juice being with me? He's part of the club, he's going to come around."

The brunette huffed. "Ok, whatever you say _Jackson_."

He chuckled and shook his head. "You sound exactly like your mom when she's upset with me. It's uncanny." He sat down on the grass next to her before pulling a ring box from his kutte. "I want your blessing to ask your mom to marry me."

"What?" She cocked an eyebrow at the man before grabbing the ring box and opening it, her green eyes scanning over the ring carefully. "Why do you want to marry my mom? Are you actually going to marry her? Or are you going to be like _Juan Carlos_? I can't have my mom getting hurt anymore. Isn't that promise ring enough, huh? Don't ask her to marry you if you don't have any intentions on following through." She passed the box back before crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want her hurt."

Jax nodded slowly as he looked between the eleven year old and the ring. "I'm not going to hurt her. I want you to know that. I have every intention on marrying her as well. I'm in love with your mom. I know I haven't been the easiest for her to deal with. I was just stuck in my old patterns but now I'm where I need to be, for her, all of you kids and for myself. "I want to be with with her forever. She's who I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Monica nodded. "I accept that." She gave him a small smile. "I'll break your neck if you hurt my mom's feelings. I promise you that." She shrugged. "I know people Jax. I know a lot of people. You'll never see it coming either."

"You know what, you are your mother's carbon copy." He chuckled as he pulled the tiny brunette into a hug. "I believe you when you say that you'll break my neck. I also have no doubts that you know people who'll do it for you."

"So I'm told." She smirked. "Remember, I'm gonna be watching you Jax. You make her cry and I'll send a suit after you. One that you haven't even seen yet."

"You're going to let her threaten you like that?" Aleksandr shook his head as he lifted up his granddaughter. "Don't dish out threats, you still have another few years until you can send suits after people my love."

"Let me down!" Monica laughed. "He wants to marry my mom, I had to let him know that if he screws her over then he'll be severely hurt."

"Why don't you go play with some dolls? You're eleven." The burly man set his granddaughter onto her feet. "Better yet, keep an eye on your brothers. Your mom fell asleep in the nursery again. Make sure Creed and Javier stay out of trouble with Juice."

"I know when I'm not wanted." She hugged the man tightly. "Have fun."

Aleksandr rolled his eyes as he watched his granddaughter walk away. "I swear, she think she's a grown ass woman." He shook his head. "Makes me want to pop her in the mouth like I did her mom but then I realize that although they are very much the same person, Monica has her biological father's grudge holding trait. She'll forgive but she will never forget."

"I've noticed, she's a little more aggressive and blunt than Bri is." Jax stood up from the grass and nodded. "I haven't asked her to marry me yet. I was getting around to asking the kids since I already asked you that day on the boat."

"You gotta put your foot down with Monica. I know she's not your child to worry about but you can't let her keep getting away with that bullshit. I already talked to Brianna, if things with her keep getting worse, I'm moving Monica into my home, putting her little disrespectful ass through the same bootcamp style punishment I did with her mom." Aleksandr shrugged. "Didn't come to talk about your proposal or the lack of one. I came to see my daughter but she's asleep."

Jax nodded slowly as he kept his blue eyes on Aleksandr. "I don't even know where to begin to even start disciplining her. It was easier a while back, we used to be close as hell. That's my babygirl but these days she's a fucking walking terror. I don't know where my little darlin' went but I want her back."

"Yeah but when Happy isn't around, you're the next father figure in line." Aleksandr shook his head. "Taking on Monica is a huge task and I suggest that you attempt it but even if you don't, I have plans on taking her out of this home and shaping her ass up. I don't care if it takes a few years but she'll get on track, lose her real father's shit attitude."

"I'll get this shit right man." He shook his head slowly. "I'm just still finding that perfect balance between the club and family. It's improving substantially though." He flashed a tiny smile before his light gaze fell onto the impressive garden. "You know what's a shame? The fact my mother hated Bri but they had so much in common, especially with the whole gardening shit. Look at this backyard. My mom would've loved it."

"She took up gardening when she moved back to the states after having Monica." Aleksandr nodded. "It was her way of planting roots. Knowing that wherever she went she could always come back and find a piece of herself. The garden at the Fortress, that was three years of hard work and meticulous planning." He shook his head and smiled. "She always leaves a mark."

Jax smiled as he held out his arm and tapped on the gorgeous tattoo that was scrawled across his wrist. "She wrote her name on me in permanent marker one night so I decided to get it inked into my skin for the rest of my life."

"You'll carry her with you forever." Aleksandr smiled. "It's going to be one hell of a trip." He rolled up his sleeve and tapped on his forearm. "That's her first attempt at cursive. She wrote her whole first name by herself. I couldn't help myself. My gorgeous _Katarzyna_." He chuckled. "She just leaves a lifetime impression on you."

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"Jackson." Bri looked at her boyfriend as she rubbed her belly. "Why are there Sons laying all over my home? When did they get here? What's happening to prompt this? Please don't tell me that you're going to drag my pregnant ass into the clubhouse for a lockdown. Also, have you lost your damn mind? Juice!?"

Jax looked up at the brunette before smirking at her. "You need to just sit back and relax. The club isn't going on lockdown. I just invited them over for cards and beer. They got tired while drinking and playing so I told them to crash here. You've been asleep over nearly fourteen hours, do you know that babe? I was afraid I was going to have to call your doctor."

"I'm in my last trimester, it's what i do." She shrugged as she moved closer to him and placed a kiss to his lips. "I missed you and you should've woken me up with some kisses or a belly rub. I'm not even picky these days. I just want some of your touches."

He nodded as he grabbed her arms and draped them over his shoulders. "I'll give you all the touches that you want babe." He smirked at her before kissing her lips. "You know I live to please you right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Even though you give me the biggest headache of all with all your bullshit."

"What bullshit?" He cocked an eyebrow at her and shook his head. "I'm innocent, I never do anything." He rubbed her belly and smiled. "I can't wait for these kids to get here. It seems like you've been pregnant for a decade already. It's ridiculous Brianna."

Bri licked the tip of Jackson's nose and smirked. "I feel like I've been pregnant for a goddamn decade too. Your boys aren't showing me any type of love right now. I got your asshole son Noah sitting at the bottom and sweetheart Mason is chilling over here on the left."

"So, Noah is ready to escape and Mason just wants to hang out? Sounds about right." He chuckled as he started to press on her belly again. "I feel Mason's head. I can't even begin to try to find where Noah is."

"In the birth canal, trying to come early. He's an asshole. I just told you that Jackson. He's giving me a headache just like you are." She sniffed his shirt before shaking her head. "You also need to cut back on the smoking. You're basically a walking ashtray baby. You don't need those things. You're going to look seventy when you're fifty."

"Is that bad? If you were to go into labor right now?" Jax shook his head as he studied the expression on his girlfriend's face. "I think we should maybe get you to a doctor sooner. It'll be good to have you all checked out and safe."

She waved him off. "I'm fine, he's fine. He dropped and I didn't expect it to happen until August but it's alright." She smiled. "Don't look at me like that, different babies do different things. Twins are high risk anyway, so I want you to just relax and stop looking at me like I'm five minutes from going into labor Jax."

"Your daughter threatened to have a suit break my neck today…" He smirked at her. "I didn't know whether to take her seriously or smack her for that shit."

"I'll handle it. She's getting further and further away from Hohrykova and Lowman and closer and closer to being a full blow Mikhailova. It's like she's a mini version of her fucking father man. First the green eyes, now the attitude. I'll beat her little ass." Bri shook her head. "I need to really send her over to my dad and have him put her through her paces and see if that shit won't toughen her up in a heartbeat. I was miserable when he did it to me. It was the worst thing in the fucking world."

"I think between your dad and Happy, they'll be able to give her a much needed attitude adjustment. It's like she went from cute six year old angel to full out teen demon. She's like scary because she has that sarcasm that you can't even fucking detect. Is she joking or is she being absolutely serious?"

"Oh, so now you're afraid of my eleven year old daughter?" She smirked at him. "I just want her attitude to be back to being calm and sweet. I can't do the moodswings and the angry outbursts. She's just too intense for her age. I miss my sweet little girl and her hugs and kisses."

"We'll get her back on track." Jax hugged her as best he could. "I love you Brianna."

"I know, I love me too." Bri hugged him back and chuckled. "I also love you too Jackson."

* * *

 **AN: I hate to do this but this story is now on indefinite hiatus. I don't know when I'll get the energy or motivation to continue it. It just seems pointless since no one is actually reading it save for Natalie and Bray. Yes, I know them by name because they've managed to review the story from the beginning without fail. So, i love them for that. it takes me a few days and up to a couple of weeks to write and edit a chapter but it'll take you all less than two minutes to write a review of the story.  
**

 **So until support picks up, this story is on hiatus, it could be back in a week, a month or it could be back in a few years. Only time will tell. So later. It was fun while it lasted.**


	52. Babies

**August 4, 2014**

"This yard is a mess." Bri shook her head as her grey hues scanned over the aftermath of her daughter's twelfth birthday. "I'm just happy that we have cleaners. I could not clean this shit up myself." She kicked at the now deflated jump house before crossing her arms over her chest as best she could. "I don't know what I was thinking, agreeing to this damn party dad. She really didn't deserve it."

Aleksandr nodded. "She didn't but you let her have it. Now, you can hand her over and I'll take it from here. She doesn't need anything else. Doesn't need to be spoiled. The only thing she needs is to lose her piss poor attitude and unlike you I have no problem with beating her ass until she learns a goddamn lesson. Just like you did."

She nodded as she rubbed her hands over her large belly. "I hate that I have lost so much control over her. I know it's not because I'm a bad mom… I mean I know I could be better to her and for her. I just don't know what else to do. She doesn't want to listen and when I ask her what's wrong, it's like talking to a broken record. She just wants attention all of the time but she can't get it there's too many siblings to share it with. She's not programmed to have siblings. It's so fucked up."

"You didn't like having siblings either." He shook his head. "You however did learn how to adapt to having them. She's a sociopath, she doesn't have the ability to feel empathy or sympathy. She has no emotion unless you cut deep with her."

"Don't call my child a sociopath. She just needs a lot of help." Bri sighed. "She needs to be admitted, maybe a three day psych evaluation."

"You went from don't call her that to maybe she has a mental illness?" Aleksandr cocked an eyebrow at the brunette. "What is it? You got something you aren't telling me?"

Bri shrugged. "Bipolar." She mumbled as she looked up at her dad. "Her doctor just pushed through with the diagnosis… I was telling her about all the weird ass mood swings and shit. She'll go from perfectly calm to a tiny terror in five seconds."

"How's Happy handling that?" He looked down at her. "Can't be easy on anyone."

"I haven't told him yet. I figured since he missed the appointment that he can find out from her or me or a next appointment." She shook her head. "Do not look at me like that. I am handling this shit the best way I know how to."

He knocked his knuckles against her forehead and shook his head. "Don't be a brat, shit like this is what you need to tell him. Regardless of if he missed an appointment or you just don't feel like talking to him today."

"Not being a brat. I'm being petty." Bri murmured as she sat on the bench. "There's a difference. I'm sure there is. I'll let you know when I figure it all out. I'm just waiting for these two little demons to make their appearance. I'm kinda tired of being fucking pregnant and as huge as a house."

"I'm still kicking Monica's ass though, just so you know. I know she's a little off, like her mother but other times she still needs a swift kick to the ass and a belt across the back." Aleksandr shrugged. "If all else fails, we're gonna have to just learn to deal properly with her mood swings."

"Do not just beat on your granddaughter. She's got her issues but she needs to be dealt with accordingly. I think you need sensitivity training or something. You can't punish her like you did with me. I don't need her mind getting worse, I need it to get better." She sighed. "I'm just happy we figured it out. She's just a literal _neurotic cupcake_."

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"So, I'm crazy?" Monica looked up at her mom as she laid in bed. "I don't want to actually be crazy mom. That's not good!"

"You're not crazy, it's a chemical imbalance." Bri shook her head as she rubbed her hands over her belly. "You just gotta take some medicine to balance it all out baby girl."

"I don't wanna take medicine." The twelve year old shook her head. "What if it makes me a zombie or something? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Oh, you're so dramatic." Bri pulled her daughter closer to her and kissed the top of her head before letting out a long sigh. "Look at it this way, now we have a reason as to why you're so difficult and have so many mood swings. It's not that you're becoming a teenager. It sucks, I know it does but we have to just figure out the best method for you. Whether it's medication or just finding things to keep you busy."

"I want medicine." Monica stated matter of factly, giving a single nod as she looked at her mom. "I want to be on medicine if it'll help me stop being so moody and dysfunctional. I guess you're right. It's a nice feeling to know what's causing all of this shit."

"We'll keep you under the best doctor. I don't care how much it'll cost. We're gonna make sure that you're able to keep a good balance." Bri kissed her daughter's head. "I love you my little neurotic cupcake."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "I love you too, mom. _My little neurotic cupcake_."

 **August 21, 2014**

"I'm pretty sure that labor is happening soon." Bri kicked at her boyfriend's shoes and smiled. "I keep getting contractions and they're not fake at all Jackson."

"Wait, what?" Jax tossed his magazine to the table before looking up at the brunette, a small smile creeping onto his face. "You're in labor? Just not full out labor?" He grabbed her hands and nodded. "You don't look like you're in pain like how you were with Creed."

The brunette shrugged as she moved their hands over her belly and sighed. "I'm in labor, we're just waiting for my water to break. If they get closer though, we'll have to just go in and let my doctor break the water." She smiled and kissed his lips. "We're going to be welcoming the twins here in no time. I'm pretty excited."

"How are you so calm right now Brianna?" He looked at his girlfriend, rubbing his hands up and down his face as he stood up from the sofa and pulled her to her feet. "Shouldn't you be doubling over in pain right now? I swear you were in so much pain when you were in labor with Creed."

"Eh, done this enough time, this actually is easy for me." She shrugged her shoulders as she squeezed his hands and smiled, her grey hues scanning over the room they were currently standing in. "Pretty soon we'll have more pictures to hang up."

Jax shook his head, moving her towards the foyer and picking up the bag Bri had made him set out a few days ago. "Come on, let's get you into the car. We'll start calling people from there. Shit, wait. The kids."

"My dad should be here soon." Bri nodded as she wrapped her arms around Jax and smirked. "Look at you being all hands on and perfect right now baby. I texted him about twenty minutes ago, telling him to come over and handle the kids while we get to the hospital. Then he could bring them up to the hospital after a bit."

"I'm trying." He squeezed her tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he started to walk out of the house, only to stop at the sight of Aleksandr stalking up the pathway. "Hey man, thanks for coming."

Aleksandr nodded, giving them both a happy smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm excited to be welcoming the twins. My dear, how are you doing right now?"

Bri smiled. "I'm good, my water just broke, so… I'm sure we need to really get going to the hospital right about now." She looked between the men. "Dad, come as soon as you get them squared away. They were all laying in Monica's bed taking a nap. So let them sleep for a little while more before waking them up. Otherwise, they'll all be grumpy and quiet."

"Go, go." He smiled at her. "I'll be there as soon as they all wake up. Take care of my girl Jax."

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Bri sat back against the massive amount of pillows she had managed to talk the hospital into giving her. She was pretty comfortable save for the small and occasional jolt of pain she felt in her lower back. She wasn't scared nor was she nervous, she had done this before and now it was just second nature to her, as bad as that sounded. "They're calming down." She murmured as she looked at Jax and sighed. "Not as active as they were earlier."

Jax nodded, squeezing her hand softly. "Is that a bad thing?"

She shrugged. "No, if it were a bad thing, we'd be getting rushed into the OR for an emergency cesarean." She smiled as she watched the room door open. "Jacey!"

"Good morning." The blonde grinned as she eased her son to the floor. "I brought him because when I said I was going to see you, he shouted he wanted his B so there he is."

"The last time I was having a kid, Kol was making out with Nik." Bri chuckled. "Hey my handsome. Come give me hugs."

Kol tried climbing on the bed before giving up and just started staring at Jax. "You're in the way of me getting my hugs and kisses." He crossed his arms. "B, why are you in here?"

"I'm having the twins." Bri helped Kol onto the bed and hugged him before peppering his face with kisses. "They decided not to wait anymore."

The little boy shook his head. "But that means you won't come hang out with me anymore. Can't you just not have them?" He looked back at Jax and stuck his tongue out. "Why's he here?"

"Kol." Jacey flicked his arm and shook her head. "Quit it."

"I'm here because the twins are my sons." Jax stuck his tongue out at Kol. "She can still hang out with you Kol."

Jacey rolled her eyes as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling, babe? How far have you gotten?"

"I feel good actually. I'm at 7 right now." Bri smiled. "They gave me a low dose of pain killer, the twins decided to be lazy."

The blonde laughed a little, nodding her head. "Good, I'm glad. Then that means you'll take this news even better…"

"What?" Bri looked at Jacey. "What happened huh?"

Jacey rolled her eyes again, shaking her head slowly. "Re-fucking-lax, Jumpy. I said _even_ better. It's good news. I was asked to participate in an LA art auction. I got the call when I was on the way here. I know how much you love art auctions so I decided to tell you."

"I'll be there." Bri nodded. "Congratulations J. I'm proud of you."

The blonde shook her head slowly. "It's in five days, tell me again what we're doing here. _Having babies_. You won't be there, that's why I'm just telling you." She smiled. "Which it's ok because you're getting the real shot, they're getting the copy."

"Yeah they'll be here soon." She smiled. "I'll probably be cuddling with them in five days. So, I'm sad I won't be there."

Jacey nodded her head. "I wish you could be there since you weren't at the early August one but it'll be fine. I'm sure dad will appear out of nowhere."

"What's twins? How many is twins? Five? Ten?" Kol looked up from drawing on Bri's belly with his finger. "Are there ten boys in there? Is that why you're so big and cuddly like a giant teddy bear?"

"There's two boys in here." Bri chuckled. "I'm so big and cuddly because they decided to be all chunky in there."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "You two are so ridiculous, I'm actually kind of jealous of this niceness you receive." She smiled, grabbing Kol to set him beside. "Quit trying to sit on her belly, baby, she's got your cousins still in there."

"Maybe his weight will push them out. It'll be like a tube of toothpaste." Bri laughed. "I can't believe they're almost here. Like, I'm ready for these two little brunette monsters to be here already."

The blonde shook her head. "I don't think that's how it works. They're not fucking brunette. You don't just know they're brunette… Stop talking to that fucking crystal ball reader." She rolled her eyes. "Where's dad? Where's everyone else?"

"On their way. The kids were asleep when dad got to the house, I told him to let them sleep and when they're all awake to come up here." Bri shrugged. "I'm not making a huge deal out of this at all. I'm being _lowkey_. I will also bet you a brand new Audi that they're brunettes, Jacey." She held out her hand. "Come on, shake on it if you're so sure."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "I'm not buying another fucking car this year… You keep believing in that shit, I'm gonna sit right here and ignore you all."

"They're brunettes with light eyes. I know my kids Jacey." Bri smirked. "Jax, go grab the doctor. I think it's time for me to start pushing." She poked at Jacey's face as she watched Jax leave the room. "He's a headcase right now. This is the most quiet and worried I've seen him and he is just freaked over the fact that the twins are a month early."

Jacey nodded her head. "Whatever you say, sunshine. Whatever you say." She smiled before shrugging. "Ok, what's that got to do with anything we're discussing? You damn sure don't want me to talk to him… I won't do it."

"Nothing. I just thought it was endearing that he was worried." Bri murmured as she pressed on her stomach. "I can't believe you're going to lose this bet. I'm about to push out some brunette babies with pretty hazel eyes Jacey. Are you prepared to buy me an Audi R8?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I am not buying you anything, except maybe a bat to beat you with but that's it." She blew a kiss at the brunette. "I also _did not_ purchase any damn roses or big teddy bears or any damn jewelry, that matter." She smirked at her sister.

"I mean, stop lying J." Bri chuckled. "I love being spoiled. Kol, what all did your mom buy for me huh? Just the bears, jewelry and roses? Did she buy me some candy too?"

The little boy crawled back to his aunt and laid his head on her belly. "Mama bought lots of stuff, only for babies though. She got some big car too, she won't even let me test it out." He shook his head. "She got lots of ice cream for me too. We had lots of snacks before we came here."

"I knew I could talk to you about this matter." Bri trailed her fingers through Kol's hair and smiled. "I'll buy you your own powerwheels car, alright? Because you're my favorite little person. I wish I got snacks. I want some ice cream and snacks. Jacey, where's my ice cream?"

Jacey pointed to Kol before she poked his stomach. "He has four power wheels cars as of three days ago." She smiled. "Your snacks were devoured by your favorite little person. He's always eating snacks and ice cream."

"He can have five." Bri smirked. "You ate my snacks Kol? Man, oh, man. What do I do with you huh?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I think he's got enough for the rest of the year. He's got a third birthday coming up soon though. Reward him then."

"I want a Harley like my dad! Can I have one for Christmas? Can I have more snacks? Having twins makes me sleepy and hungry." Kol nodded his head. "Where's Creed? I miss my best friend."

"He's on his way up with your grandpa." Bri smiled. "Yes, I'll get you a Dyna for Christmas." She nodded. "When Grandpa gets up here, tell him you wanna go for some snacks!"

Kol gasped loudly. "WHAT?! My Papa is coming up here! Oh no!" He started crawling under the blankets, trying to hide himself. "I'm not here, I swear!"

"Don't ask, he refuses to see the man, I don't know why." Jacey shrugged her shoulders.

"Kol, what trouble did you get into?" Bri spread the blanket over her nephew and smirked. "I used to hide under my pillows from him when I was little."

Kol wrapped his tiny arms around Bri's leg and shook his head. "I ate his sandwich and chips the other day. He told me he'd beat me up if I did it but he had to take calls and I got hungry again."

"Aw baby." Bri chuckled. "I'll beat him up for you ok? He won't touch you or yell at you. I'll jump out of this bed and smack him."

Kol shook his head again. "We're having the twins, you can't do that yet. I'm hiding, shhhh. Don't tell him I'm here."

"Oh, I already know you're under there." Aleksandr grabbed Kol's ankles and dragged him from under the blanket. "You can't hide from me Kol." He held up upside down and smiled. "What's going on? Huh Kol? You trying to talk the twins out of Bri's stomach?"

Jacey stood up, looking at her dad. "Would you not?" She shook her head. "My poor baby and his abusive relationship with you…" She kissed the man's cheek before she picked up her nephew.

"Mama!" Kol whined, his arms reaching out for the blonde. "He got me!"

"No, you're not escaping until I get a hug kid, I missed you." Aleksandr smiled at Kol. "I haven't seen you in a few days!"

Kol rolled his eyes. "Because you wanna beat me up, fathead." He reached for Jacey again. "You can't prove I ate the sandwich… I don't like bread."

"I won't beat you up." He shook his head. "I don't care if you did or didn't eat the sandwich. I just miss ya kid."

Kol smiled, his blue eyes on Bri. "Turn me 'round and hug me. I miss you too, fathead! I had to watch the new episode of Spongebob with mama."

"Excuse me? That was a great episode." Jacey shook her head. "I am never forgetting this moment, you little fat roll."

Aleksandr nodded turning his grandson around and hugging him tightly. "I had to watch the new episode with icky face Elijah… I need you to beat him up for me Kol before he leaves again."

"Eli's here?! Where? I gotta see him." Kol nodded eagerly. "He's gotta know about some stuff!"

"At the house." He shrugged. "He's not at the hospital. He's with Aurelia. You remember her right?"

Kol gasped. "Oh no, not her. She took all the cuddles." He shook his head. "Let's go see Eli when the twins get here."

"Deal." He nodded. "Let's come up with cool names for the twins."

The little boy nodded his head. "I like Smash and Bash! They're gonna be wrestlers." He smiled as he laid his head on his grandfather's shoulder. "Smash and Bash! Come out, hurry and come out!"

"I was thinking Dumb and Dumber, they're gonna be pretty dumb." Aleksandr chuckled. "I'm joking but I think Oliver and Fitz are weird names for weird kids Bri likes to have."

Kol shook his head. "No, no, no… Smash and Bash because they're gonna destroy everything." He smiled. "B! B! B! I named the twins Smash and Bash, no take backs!"

"Ok! Smash and Bash it is." Bri nodded. "They're gonna try to beat you up when they get here!"

The little boy shook his head slowly. "I'll kick their asses right now." He started to glare as he crossed his arms.

"Don't look at me, don't say anything to me. I adopted him." Jacey murmured plainly, shaking her head as she kept her attention on Creed.

"J." Creed whispered. "Hi."

Jacey smiled at her nephew and kissed his forehead. "Hi baby. I've missed you."

"I miss you." He tried to mimic her words. "My J."

The blonde shrugged. "Can I keep you? We'll pack up all your flannels and toys and move you into the room next to Kol tonight." She smiled, kissing his cheek.

"Yes." He nodded. "Love you J."

Jacey smiled. "I love you more, baby. Katarzyna, Creed is moving in with me and my clan of blue eyed beauties." She nodded.

"No." Bri shook her head. "That cuddly thing is all mine. He gives me life with all his love."

Jacey shook her head. "Ha, Creed, your mama thinks that she can just keep you. She said you can't move in with me, baby."

"No mom." Creed shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Jacey's neck. "My J. I go with her!"

The blonde stuck her tongue out at Bri. "Don't worry, babylove. I'll talk her into this. She'll let you come with me." She kissed Creed's head as she wrapped a single arm around the toddler. "Where's the rest of the family?"

"They're in the waiting room." Aleksandr flicked Jacey's nose. "Hello to you too."

Jacey stuck her tongue out at the man. "Didn't I greet you? Kissed your scruffy cheek and gave you a big smile." She patted the spot beside her. "Hi dad."

"I just wanted some more attention from you." He laughed. "Hi my dear. I'm glad we're all here to welcome the newest Blondies to the family."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Move that traitor and I'll snuggle up to you, we'll talk about boys and how my best friend is a whore then you can take me to get some cheeseburgers." She grinned at the man. "See, bitch. BLONDE."

"I'm gonna prove you all wrong you all are prejudice against brunettes." Bri shook her head. "They're little Hohrykovas not little blonde Tellers. I refuse to believe I'd get stuck with two more blondes."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I'll tell ya what, babe. I will buy you a new beach house, that one near mine in Malibu if they're dark featured." She smiled at her sister. "If they're blonde and blue eyed, you have to move into the house for two months."

"Deal." Bri held her hand out. "Shake on it bitch because they're gonna be brunettes with a hazel or light brown eye. Maybe even dark brown."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Who is fucking fuck has brown or hazel eyes, bitch? Did you get knocked up by Hap? That's the only way it'd make sense. I swear I'm gonna kill you." She shook her head. "The deal is real, I'm not getting up. I got my pillow here."

"I mean, I thought about it but sadly I was knocked up by Jax." Bri laughed. "I will have you know that some of the males in my family have hazel eyes and some of the girls have brown."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Yeah i don't believe you, hoe. You wanted more Lowmans." She shook her head. "Dad, your slutty daughter stole my man again."

"I believe that." Aleksandr nodded. "It's about time they make it official and actually have biological children together."

Jacey scoffed. "Ok, conversation is over." She moved away from her dad.

"What? I can't make a joke? Is it a sensitive topic. I'm sorry Jacey." He pulled her back to him. "I didn't mean to upset or offend you. I know that'd never happen."

The blonde shook her head. "I said the conversation is over. Let's go back to discussing my _child_ , as Bri calls him, moving in. I'm very excited to have more Creed time."

"For now." Aleksandr nodded. "You can't steal my Creed. Well, if you take Creed, I wanna take Kol home with me."

Jacey shook her head. "No, you don't get to decide that. It's over." She moved away from him again. "You get enough Kol, how about I get them all to myself and you steal Javier?" She nodded. "Or keep Monica, you know you love that sassy ass thing."

"I already keep Monica. I've got temporary custody of the sassy thing." He shrugged. "If I take Javi, i'd have to take Cam too."

The blonde shook her head slowly. "Because you want to take her, not at either of their requests. He told me they're not friends anymore."

"They asked me to take her, straighten her out." Aleksandr nodded. "Javi and Cam aren't friends anymore? He was just talking my ear off about her on the car ride over here."

Jacey shook her head again. "I wasn't referring to Monica. I meant Camryn. You want to take her, not at her or Javi's request." She shrugged. "She told me he's not her friend anymore, he wouldn't hang out with her or talk to her recently."

"Oh, I'm going to take her because I want to. I like letting her draw all over my office walls. It's looking lovely. She's rapidly running out of space." He shrugged. "Javi's been down and out with laryngitis for the last five days or so. Today was the first day he was talking. It was just nonstop."

Jacey nodded her head. "Do you listen at all, dad? I just said that. She's been upset for weeks.. But I don't know much. I have a silent child on my hands. She's always silent, I told you about this."

"No, I'm Brianna in man form, I only listen to some parts and just reply to the parts I heard." Aleksandr nodded. "I'm just removing myself from Javi and Cam situations. I have enough drama with Bri and Jacey situations."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "And we all just wonder why I don't have emotions at all… It's useless. What are you waiting for, Brianna? Give us the babies." She shook her head.

"You can have emotions." He flicked her. "Being emotionless is what's useless."

Bri looked at the pair and shook her head. "I'm waiting for Jax and the doctor. I can't deliver my own children even though I want to. I also want him by my side through this."

"I don't need any emotions, I'm fine just like this." Jacey nodded her head. "Well I'm going to take the boys to find snacks and Hap."

"Alright." Bri nodded. "You know where to find me."

Kol climbed back on the bed. "I'm gonna stay with B, mama. I don't want any snacks right now. I'm gonna help B."

"My little White Knight." Bri smiled at Kol. "You can give me a pep talk."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "White Knight. That's something. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"I'm gonna help you, B, don't worry, ok?" Kol rested his head on Bri's belly, sighing as he started pushing Bri's legs apart.

"I am not worried now that I know you're going to help me." She grinned at him. "What would I do without you my love? Huh?"

Kol shrugged his shoulders. "Well I don't know… I guess get nothing done and you'd never smile or anything. Right Papa!?" He looked at Aleksandr and nodded.

"Correct!" Aleksandr nodded. "She'd be a sad, sad Bri if you weren't in her life Kol."

Kol nodded his head and smiled. "See, B, Papa knows how it is." He yawned. "Having twins is tough."

"You're telling me." Bri chuckled. "You can curl up into my side and relax, take a nap if you want. I'll wake you up when they're here and want to cuddle their big cousin Kol."

He shook his head. "No, no sleeping. We're not done yet, B. Only when we're done, ok?" He smiled.

"I am back." The doctor walked into the room. "I hear that someone is ready to push and deliver the twins. Who's this handsome little helper? I know those eyes. Hey Kol."

Kol looked back and furrowed his brow. "Who's that, B?"

"Dr. Kournikova, she's gonna help you deliver the babies." Bri smiled. "She's the one who helped with you and Creed. She's just our lovely family doctor."

Kol gasped, nodding his head. "You're the family doctor? That sounds fun, do you get paid a lot? You helped with me? Was I really a fat chunky baby like they say so? Tell it to me straight, doc."

"Fattest baby I ever saw." She smiled at him. "I do get paid a whole lot. I also see all of you as my family. So it's a win-win situation here."

The little boy smiled and nodded. "Look, Papa, you were right. I'm sorry I doubted you." He shrugged. "Papa thinks he just knows everything, I don't believe it though."

"Oh, you wanna know a secret?" She leaned towards Kol. "He's not always right and he doesn't know everything. I know a few times when he's been wrong." She chuckled. "Alright, Bri my love. You're ready to push."

Kol gasped again. "You know my Papa?! Nuh uh! How? Are you friends? Tell me everything." He nodded his head eagerly. "I'm ready! Let's go!"

"That's my boo." She laughed. "I let him take me on dates sometimes." She shrugged her shoulder. "Where's your mom? I thought she'd be in here for this part."

Kol scrunched up his face. "Ew… You can't date my Papa, then he won't hang out with me anymore. That's just terrible." He shrugged. "She's probably laying down, she gets sick a lot."

"Your mom is pregnant huh?" Dr. Kournikova looked at Kol. "Pretty soon she'll be popping out a baby." She rubbed Bri's ankle. "Can one of you nurses go get Jackson, he's the pretty one with a flannel."

Jacey cleared her throat as she walked back into the room. "I'm not pregnant. Run your tests later if you want. I've had the flu, it's finally passing." She nodded. "How're you holding up? How's your boy getting you through it?"

"Good, I'm ready to push. Just waiting for Jax." Bri smiled. "He's doing amazing. He's keeping me smiling and relaxed."

The blonde smiled, nodding her head. "Good, I'm glad. That means I can rest easy knowing that my baby is a little sweetheart after all." She looked at the doctor and grinned. "Hey, doc… Long time."

"Yes, long time no see." She smiled at Jacey. "Look at that. The gang's all here. You all know the drill but Kol, when I count down, you gotta remind your Aunt to push hard, ok? And whatever you do, do not look past this blue sheet I have up, alright?"

He nodded his head. "Why not? What's past the blue sheet?" He crawled on Bri's chest and smiled down at his aunt. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." Bri nodded. "I got my Kol in here helping me. It's just a lovely day. Jacey, you got a little gentleman right here."

Jacey nodded her head. "I'm doing something right with that angel." She smiled, grabbing a hold of Bri's hand. "Alright, Bri, Jax is here. It's time to do this."

"Ok, one, two three, can I get a big push?" Dr. Kournikova looked up at Jax and grinned. "Don't look so pale Jackson. Everything is alright."

"I know." Jax nodded slowly as he squeezed Bri's hand and smiled. "You're doing so good. You have all of us here with you babe."

Bri smiled as she continued to push, wanting the delivery to be over so she could hold her babies. "I love you Jax. I just want them here already." She squeezed his hand back as she relaxed briefly before beginning to push again. "They need to hurry it up already."

"You're doing soo good." The doctor smiled. "Baby one is almost here, just one more big push then you can relax a bit, sometimes twins come with some time gaps."

"Ok." The brunette nodded as she gave one more big push before relaxing into the pillows. "Is he here? Is he ok?"

Dr. Kournikova stood up, holding the baby boy up for Bri to see him. "Gonna get him cleaned up, let's see if we can't get his baby brother out quickly. You ready to try one huge push for me? If nothing happens, then we just sit and wait."

"Yeah, yeah." Bri nodded, her hand squeezing Jax's hard as her grey eyes followed the nurse who had her first son. She knew something wasn't quite right but all she could do was focus on getting baby number two out. "I'm ready. I'm ready."

Sensing her worry, Jax looked down at the brunette. "One more push then I'll go check on him ok? I'll make sure he's ok Brianna."

"Oh you're just doing lovely." Dr. Kournikova smiled. "Baby number two is on his way." She nodded eagerly. "Huge, push, hold it for the count of ten, then release. I can see his head, so it won't be too much longer."

"One big push." Jax mumbled to Bri, his eyes still on his son who was in the corner with a couple of nurses. "You can do this Brianna."

She nodded, giving one more big push before feeling the doctor squeeze her leg. "Is he here?"

"He is." The doctor grinned as she held up the baby. "Dad, come cut the cord, then I'll get them both cleaned up and ready to be cuddled."

"What's wrong with Noah?" Bri sat up, keeping Kol to her. "You rushed him away… What's wrong with him, be straight with me right now?"

Dr. Kournikova nodded as she looked at Bri. "He was a bit blue, wanted to make sure he was breathing correctly. It's nothing too serious. The color is returning to normal in his face and that's a great thing Brianna."

Bri let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Thanks Petra." She smiled. "I know you hate the name but whatever. It's my middle name and it's pretty. Now Jacey, what were you saying about that beach house in Malibu?"

"I'm not speaking about the deal until they've actually been here a whole day, bitch." She leaned down, kissing Bri's head. "How does it feel? You just gave birth to the last of your babies. No more now. I sure as hell hope you don't wake up in a year wanting a baby girl after the slew of boys."

"Good but sad." Bri sighed. "Mason is my last baby ever. Nah, I won't wake up in a year wanting a little girl. I mean if I do, I'll just remind myself of what they grow up to be like by talking to my Monica. Thanks for being here though J. I love you for it. Kol, thank you for being here too, now you can nap since you helped bring the twins into the world."

Jacey started laughing. "Where else would I have been, B? I wouldn't miss this shit for the world, you know that. I love you." She kissed her head. "But your boy is already asleep, is his hand tangled in your hair?"

"I don't know, riding Happy." She shook her head. "Yes, he has my hair. I love him so much. He's just slowly making me wanna nap too."

The blonde flicked her sister's nose. "Bitch shut up, my needs are not that bad yet… Although." She shook her head. "Nevermind, my mouth is closed. Shut up. It's nice huh? He just starts rubbing your scalp then the game is really over."

"Yet?" Bri looked at the blonde. "Super pregnant ass hoe." she smirked as she rubbed Kol's back slowly before he was lifted off of her, being replaced with Noah and Mason. "My fatties. Look at them Jax. Jacey, look at them. My big ass boys."

"Look at them." Jax lifted one of the boys from Bri's chest and cradled him to his chest. "He's wide awake, this one." He smiled down at his son. "This one is Noah, I can tell by the way he's just glaring up at me."

She shook her head. "He's only glaring at you because you took him from his brother." Bri chuckled as she propped herself up against the pillows and sighed. "I'm just so happy that they're here finally. Month early or not, they're absolutely perfect."

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 **AN: so, here's an update, the babies are finally here. we also seen a glimpse as to why Monica behaves the way that she does. hopefully you enjoyed this update. i really hope to get back into updating this story regularly soon. so let me know if that's something you all want.  
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	53. Double

**September 21, 2014**

Jackson Teller looked at the three little forms that were curled up on the sofa next to him. He had managed to get them all down for a nap, without a catastrophe happening, however he did have to admit that he struggled quite a bit. He had realized he had no real idea of what he was doing, no idea how to balance out the twins with Creed while getting the chores done as well. He also needed to admit that he owed his girlfriend a whole lot more respect than what he gave her on a daily basis. "You guys wore me out."

"Jax." Javier pulled on the man's hair and laughed. "Will you help me with my volcano for class tomorrow. I asked my mom but she was actually sleeping when I was talking to her."

"Yeah." He nodded as he stood up from the sofa softly, mindful of the sleeping boys. "I'll help you, what do you need, kid? Everything? From scratch? Your mom is better at the decorating part but I can get you a nice explosion."

"Everything." He held up the piece of paper and smirked. "It's all the instructions. Monica printed them out for me. She was in a nice mood when I saw her at grandpa's house earlier."

"Oh yeah?" Jax smiled as he clipped the baby monitor to the waistband of his sweatpants. "I want you to read off the paper and we'll get all that you need from the kitchen. I know we have lots of newspaper because your mom is always reading the paper, watching her stock portfolio go up and down." He shrugged as he lifted Javier up and set him on the large island in the middle of the kitchen. "Aren't you too young to be doing science projects for school though?"

"Nope." Javier shook his head. "I'm old enough for a science project. I'm in the advanced classes, duh Jax!"

He laughed and nodded. "Excuse me, I didn't know it was _that_ advanced." He shook his head as he started setting out all of the items listed on the piece of paper. "We have everything. Vinegar and baking soda will give you an eruption but we'll add some food coloring into it, to make it really look like lava. Does that sound good to you?"

Javi nodded. "Yes, it sounds so good! I want red lava!" He lifted up the food coloring and smiled. "Lots of it Jax!"

"Alright." Jax nodded. "We'll make the volcano big and we'll make the lava really red." He chuckled before hearing one of the twins begin to cry, followed by a thud. "Fuck!" He rushed out of the kitchen and back into the living room, pausing at the sight of Noah on the floor, he walked over, instantly scooping the month old up and tried to soothe him with rocking. "Brianna is going to kill me."

"Now why would I do that?" Brianna walked into the living room. "I woke up, figured it was time to feed them. I was right. Noah only cries when hungry."

He turned around and shrugged. "I left them sleeping, he rolled off. Can you check him? Make sure he isn't hurt?"

She nodded as she took Noah into her arms, instantly holding him close to her chest. "Babe, I told you they can't be left on anything. That's why their swings are right over there Jax."

"I know, shit, I'm sorry alright. Is he ok? Do we need to go to the hospital?" Jax moved towards the brunette and his son. "He's not going to be slow now, right?"

"Jesus Christ, calm down." Bri shook her head. "He's going to be fine babe. It wasn't a long way to fall and thankfully we had carpet put in this room. Just next time, put them in their swings unless you're in here with them. Alright? You can just relax. He's not hurt. I know that look on your face. He's fine."

He nodded. "I'm calm." He smiled as he kissed her lips. "I just went to help Javier with his volcano for school."

She chuckled. "That's not his project, that's Monica's but he wants to build one like she did, so you know, have fun helping him with it. I think he wants to take it for show and tell."

"Oh, he lied to me? He told me he was in advanced classes." Jax shook his head as he kissed the brunette again. "I love you, you know that right Brianna?"

Bri nodded and smiled. "Yes, Jackson I know you love me. Now, go help him. I'm going to cuddle these fatties and feed them."

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"Potatoes." Kajsa poked at Mason and Noah and giggled when they looked at her. "The potatoes looked at me!"

"Yes, they did huh?" Nik smirked at her daughter. "They're remembering your face. So, they won't be crying the next time you want to hold them."

"Noah is irritated, he rolled off the sofa and bumped his head. Freaked Jax out so bad, Nik." Bri shook her head as she passed both blondes bottles of water. "There you go. Ice water is pretty much life. I'm ready for this heat to leave and the fall to start. I'm desperate for some rain. I want just some good weather. I was thinking of going down to Big Bear for the winter. Just something small."

"I wanna go." Kajsa crawled into Bri's lap, wrapping her tiny arms around the woman's neck as she pressed her lips to the brunette's nose. "Big Bear!"

"You can come." She kissed Kajsa's forehead and smirked. "Now, back to you Miss Nikola. I was thinking a double wedding…"

"First off all, you need to have Jax propose to you before you start planning a double wedding. I'm good with it but the guys need to be good with it as well." Nik smiled at her sister. "Hey, Kajsa, tell your Auntie what you learned on your trip to Russia."

"I learned some Russian." Kajsa giggled before she started rattling off in Russian before pausing to look at the women. "Did I do good?"

"That was perfect!" Bri hugged her niece tightly. "Look at you, a little Russian princess. I love you so much baby girl."

"Love you too." She kissed Bri and nodded. "Daddy got me a flower tiara there too! I'll go get it from him. I made him wear it!"

"Yes, go get it." Nik patted her daughter's behind. "She's such a hippy and I don't know where she gets it but I'd fucking die if she ever lost that part of her. I can't imagine her being anything but free and loving."

"I hope she stays that way too. I think she will though." Bri nodded as she started to braid her sister's hair. "You know, I love you a lot right? I don't want you leaving me so much. I feel like I never really get to see you and your little family anymore and I hate it."

The blonde nodded and smiled. "We don't need to leave for a while. Anthony's pretty much handled all his business over in Russia, so he's happy to be back home and settling in with us and I love it." She relaxed back against Bri and sighed. "I hated it too but I couldn't let him go there alone. He's an outsider, even if he's your new right hand Bri. I just had to make sure he was safe at all times. He let me do it too, he didn't fight me on it. I love that about him. He didn't let some chauvinistic bullshit stop him from allowing me to be at his side every step of the way."

"Good." Bri smiled to herself. "I'm glad you have that. That you have a man that's going to include you on everything he dabbles in." She nodded slowly as she finished braiding the blonde's hair. "Jax and I are getting better in that aspect. He started telling me more about the club and what they're dealing with."

"I love it." Nik murmured. "The open communication of the relationship. I really can't wait to be his wife and lock him in forever and ever." She laughed as she shifted on the large bed. "These babies are giving me such baby fever. Anthony and I were thinking about adopting a little boy. So, we let an agency know that we want a child who's between a newborn and eighteen months but we may be open for one a bit older than that."

"Good." Bri smirked. "You two do need a little boy in your lives. A little tan brunette boy who may favor Anthony. It'll be the perfect completion of your tiny little family. Also, one more nephew for me. I need more than just one nephew."

"I want a boy, the agency said it could take awhile but I don't mind the wait." Nik looked back at her sister and smiled. "I just want one more kid. I don't care how long it'll take. I know it's going to be amazing when we get him."

"You know you have the family's support through the whole process, don't hesitate to ask me or anyone else for help or just for an ear." Bri kissed the blonde's forehead. "I can't wait to see what other happy news the family will get. We're on a roll right now. Just positive vibes."

"Don't jinx us." Nik shook her head. "Let's just go with the flow."

 **September 23, 2014**

Jax paced around the large bedroom he shared with his girlfriend Brianna, a black velvet ring box in his hands as he shuffled through all the ups and downs they had gone through. He hadn't been the best boyfriend and he definitely hadn't been the easiest to love but now that they were in the happiest place they've been he couldn't help but want to commit himself to the brunette forever. She was way more than just his girlfriend, she had become his best friend as well. "Brianna." He spoke as he walked out of the bedroom and into the nursery. "Brianna."

"Yeah Jax?" Bri looked up from the photo album she was putting together. "I'm setting up their baby books finally. The others have theirs. Monica's will be finished soon." She smiled as she took in his nervous fidgets. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Jax shook his head as he sat down on the floor and pulled the brunette onto his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked down at the pictures scattering the floor. "You have way too many pictures of them. They're only a month old babe."

"Can't help it." She shook her head as she leaned back against him and smiled. "Our kids are perfect plus, look at how fucking amazing our genes finally mixed. Creed was all you but the twins are the perfect combination of the both of us. I swore Monica was going to be the only kid to look like me but I'm glad the babies have some of me in their looks."

He nodded as he planted soft kisses to her neck as he slowly pulled out the ring box. "I have a serious question to ask you. You can think about it but I'd prefer an answer today…"

"Ok." Bri nodded. "Ask your question baby."

Jax lifted up the ring box, so she could see it. "So, I wanted to know if you would like to marry me?" He smiled. "We've been through some shit and we've gotten through it all and we've gotten stronger and happier together. So I want to make you my wife. So Brianna will you marry me?"

"Yes." She answered, sliding off his lap to look at him. "Yes, I'll marry you." she nodded eagerly as she smiled up at him before moving back to straddle his lap. "Yes, yes." She grinned. "I'll marry you Jackson."

He laughed as he slid the ring onto her finger. "Yeah? You sure? Your final answer is yes?"

Bri nodded as she kissed Jax and smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm sure! I will marry you baby." She kissed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want to marry you. We're going to get married?" She looked at him and nodded. "For real? For real?"

"Yes." He chuckled as he kissed her and smiled against her lips. "For real, for real. We're going to get married for real. You're going to be Mrs. Teller…"

"Oh shit." Bri smirked. "Hohrykova-Teller actually. Just going to go back to my maiden name to be honest and add yours to it." She smiled as she wrapped her arms and legs around him tightly. "I cannot believe we're engaged. I can't wait to tell everyone that we're engaged! This is so exciting! I have to tell everyone right now."

Jax shook his head as he tangled his hands into her long hair and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. "That can wait for a bit. Let's just sit here and enjoy each other's company before you go announcing it to the damn world babe."

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"Good just what I needed." Bri scoffed as she looked out the screen door and spotted Juice standing on the porch. "What are you doing here? Huh? I told you to call before you just show up. It's not your weekend with Javier anyway." She shook her head as she walked out of the house, balancing Creed on her hips as she kept her grey eyes on her jittery ex boyfriend. "Juice."

"Kat." Juice looked at the brunette and sighed. "I just need your help…"

She shook her head, slightly taken aback at the use of the nickname. "Juan, what do you need?" She cocked an eyebrow at him, her hand stroking her son's back. "What shit have you gotten into now?"

He looked at her before looking at the figure in the doorway. "I'll call you." He backed off the porch. "You were right, I should've called before I stopped by I'm sorry."

Bri nodded slowly before looking back to see Jax standing behind her. "That was weird." She shrugged as she moved back into the house. "Usually he gets all argumentative when I tell him he can't see Javier unless it's his weekend or he calls first."

The man nodded as he closed the doors and locked them. "He's probably drunk. It's all he is these days when he doesn't have Javier." He draped an arm over the brunette's shoulders and pulled her into him. "Let's get back to dinner. We didn't finish talking about this double wedding you want to have with Nik. What's wrong with a triple wedding? You know Happy and Jacey are going to end up getting engaged again."

She shrugged as she leaned into his side and smiled. "Just a double wedding. I have nothing against a triple wedding but you know good and well that Happy doesn't want to share a day with the rest of us. He wants a make up to the wedding he walked out of." Bri pinched his side and sighed. "You and Ant are different though, you don't mind sharing the day at all. It'll be perfect. A double wedding with my Nikola. I just need to inform my dad of this all."

Jax smiled down at the brunette. "I don't mind, whatever makes you happy. I'm all for it darlin'." He took Creed from her and set him onto the floor. "We got the ring barer right there and Kajsa can be the flower girl. It'll be perfect. Just make sure you just fill me in along the way." He kissed her head and smiled. "It'll be a wedding to remember."

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 **AN: You asked and I delivered. Another chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I hope you loved this one because I know that I did.  
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	54. Together

**October 4, 2014**

"Jax…" Bri shook her head as she walked into the master bathroom to see her fiance in the tub with his three sons. "What is going on in here. I told you to give Creed a bath, not the twins or yourself." She chuckled as she took a picture. "Not that this isn't a cute moment."

Jax shrugged as he looked at the brunette before tapping on the side of the tub. "I got talked into it. He told me he wouldn't get in unless I sat down first. I didn't even get a chance to take my boxers off Bri." He laughed and shook his head. "Then I figured I'd invite them along and they love the water."

She took a seat and smiled. "You four are just the most precious things I've seen in awhile. My dad just came by and picked up Javier… Juice was a no show. Second weekend he's been missing for. Javier is pretty much over the man. It's pretty damn sad. So it's just the five of us because Monica left us too."

"So, that means you're free to do this." He pulled the brunette into the water and smirked. "Look, now it's the five of us in the bathtub."

"Jackson." Bri popped the man's chest. "That was rude but why is the water cold and not warm? How long have you guys actually been in this tub?"

"For thirty minutes now." He shrugged as he adjusted the brunette on his lap. "See, now this should be a picture babe. You need your phone on you right now but you left it over there on the sink."

"You're so lucky I'm in love with you, otherwise I'd be so upset at the fact I'm in this cold ass water with clothes on." She shook her head as she rested her head against him. "I wanted to throw an engagement party but then I realized that no one would really come. I'm also nervous about telling Jacey…"

"Well, Brianna." He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "You do what makes you happy. If you want to have a party, then you have a party. You already know that J will be happy for you because you're happy about this. We're happy about this."

"I told Nik, she screamed in my ear and told me that she has the most perfect dress for Monica to wear to match with Kajsa." She chuckled. "I'm just super excited about this. I know Jacey will be happy for me, for us. I also knows she just hates when I bring you up to her. I hope you two can fix your relationship for good soon."

Jax nodded slowly as he rubbed Bri's back. "We'll fix it. It'll get better. I know so." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Now, we gotta start this planning shit. I was thinking since it'll be a double wedding, we keep it small and just our closest friends and family. I wanted to reach out to a few associates."

"Good." She smiled up at him and nodded. "Invite who you please. You know I won't mind baby."

"I know you're going through your thoughts right now but you start looking at dresses?" He asked as he lazily trailed his fingers through her long locks. "I know your favorite color is white so, you'll have tons of options."

"Yes, I saw a few on my way home. I had to stop at this cute little bridal boutique. Gorgeous, gorgeous white dress, low cut back, some phenomenal lace details." She sighed. "I put it on reserve. I wanna get more pictures of me in it and take my sisters with to get their honest opinions on me in it. Because I love it."

"If you love it, just buy it." He chuckled. "You don't need your sisters' approval every step of the way with this. I love your independent spirit. Don't dull that out Bri."

"I'm not dulling myself down. I just want to include them on things. Have you ever noticed that I don't need any of them? Like I don't ever reach out for help. I want to at least be comfortable enough to ask them for help. They're my sisters." She sighed. "I want to call them the way they call me…"

"You're not programmed that way." Jax shook his head as he stood up from the tub, helping the brunette up with him. "Let's get all dried off and we can all lay in bed and relax. All five of us."

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"Oh, my little baby fatty." Brianna smirked down at Creed as she watched him do his best to eat a piece of pizza. "You so handsome even with all of that pizza sauce on your face."

"Mama." Creed smiled back up at his mother as he pressed the slice of pizza to her lips and giggled. "Nom, nom."

She chuckled, taking a bite of the pizza before nodding her head. "Nom, nom." She poked at his stomach. "You're full huh? I told your dad you'd love pizza just as much as me. It's your favorite food huh baby?"

"Pizza." He laughed as he took another bite of the pizza before holding it back up for him mom. "Eat the pizza."

"Oh, so you feed her but not me?" Jax dropped down to the bed, pulling his son towards him. "I want some pizza too! Can I have a bite?"

"No pizza." Creed shook his head as he looked at his dad and laughed. "No pizza dad!"

"Oh!" He covered his face and shook his head. "No pizza for me, I see you _Jackson_."

Bri shook her head as she eyed Jax. "He doesn't know that's his actual first name. He just knows himself as Creed."

"Well, fuck." Jax laughed. "Creed should've just been his real first name and not Jackson."

"Well, you picked his name." She smirked at her fiance. "I got something for you though, check out the venue for the wedding babe. Well, it's the venue I want. I gotta show it to Nik but I know she'll be down for it."

"Your mom lured us in the room with pizza and decided to trap us here with venue ideas. Creed, look at her, gorgeous but sneaky." Jax took the phone from the brunette and started scrolling through the pictures before stopping and looking up at Brianna. "Babe, all these gorgeous pictures of you and you don't send me any!"

The brunette rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, Jax. You need to upgrade to a phone that actually gets pictures… That flip phone you always carry around is shit. Why don't you try out the smartphone I gifted you? Then I'll send you all the pictures you want."

"I told you before, I can't use that thing. The last thing I need is someone I don't like taking it off me then finding you and the kids through it." He sighed as he pulled Brianna closer to him and kissed her lips softly. "Luckily for me, I got you in front of me."

"Pretty sure everyone can find us. We live in Charming Jax." Bri shook her head. "In a craftsman home. We're not protected by the iron gates of the Fortress. We're sitting ducks babe. That means you gotta be home all the time to protect all of us."

"See, I already told you we can move back into the Fortress." He laughed and shook his head. "We don't have to stay here anymore Brianna, if you want to move back, we can."

"I want to move back." She nodded slowly as she braided his hair back into two braids and smirked. "Oh look at all this luscious hair. You and Creed are the death of me with all this soft golden hair."

"Did you just braid my hair?" Jax shook his head as he looked at the brunette and smirked. "Do I look high fashion right now or do I look lame?"

"Lame!" Creed giggled and clapped his hands as he stood up on the bed and started to jump. "Lame! Lame! Daddy!"

"I see you get your aunt Jacey's brutal honesty." He laughed as he poked at Creed's face. "I don't wanna be lame buddy! I wanna be cool like you!"

"Lame." Bri laughed. "He thinks it's a good word baby. It's cute, look at him, he's the most excited thing in the world. Oh, this lady at Target the other night thought he was a girl. Creed was very upset by this."

"Not a girl." Creed murmured against his dad's cheek as he wrapped his arms around the man's head. "I'm a boy!"

Jax nodded and chuckled. "You're a boy! That's right man." He hugged his son and smiled as he felt more relaxed than ever. He may have lost out on being a dad the first time with Abel but he sure as hell was going to keep getting better for Creed, Noah and Mason. "In a few years, you'll be a man and you'll get your first Harley."

"Audi." Bri coughed as she looked at the man. "He's getting a ride on Audi…"

"Dyna." He shook his head as he swatted at Bri's hair. "Get it through your head, this kid is my legacy. That's what he is. Creed is the future president of the club… Isn't that right Jackson?"

Creed looked down at his dad, a blank look on his face before he looked to his mom, a tiny finger pointing to himself. "Creed."

"You hear him Jax, his name is _Creed_. His name is Jackson." Bri laughed as she moved off the bed and towards the bassinets where the twins were beginning to stir. "He knows his name and it's not Jackson!"

"Creed." Creed clapped his hands as he started to reach for another slice of pizza. "It's pizza daddy."

"He just loves pizza." Jax shook his head again as he watched Bri carefully lay the boys on the bed once again. "Those two are just obsessed with being around you as much as possible."

"Because I feed them." She shrugged her shoulders as she continued to stare down at Mason and Noah. "My cute little chubby babies."

"At least they're not identical twins." Jax smiled as he watched Creed try to dip the crust of his pizza into a container of garlic butter. "You've created a monster with this one. He's going to be a hundred pounds by his sixth birthday."

"You need to leave my baby alone. He can eat and be chunky all he wants to. He talks way more when he's got his food." Bri laughed as she trailed her fingers through Creed's hair. "You Jax, you can take a nap and let him eat his pizza crust."

 **October 8, 2014**

"We've been summoned by the Queen." Frey mumbled as he tossed away his half eaten apple. His blue eyes scanning the people sitting around Brianna's home office. "It must be big if she's brought icky ass Roman into the fold."

"Why are you even a suit? You're not even Russian." Roman scoffed as he shook his head. "I've been a suit longer than you have. So, respect your elders."

"We're not bickering today." Bri shook her head as she walked into the office, closing the door securely behind her before taking a seat behind her desk, her grey hues rolling over each of the men standing before her. Alright, you guys, hello and welcome to my lovely home office. Not sure if any of you have really been in this lovely space before."

"What are we here for? Just give it to us straight Brianna." Igor looked at the brunette as he ran his hands over his head and sighed. "We're being fired huh?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're not being fired. You guys are family. I'd never get rid of you unless you fucked me over." She shrugged her shoulders. "I brought you here, the men I consider to be Veterans in the whole suit game to meet the new breed of suits that Anthony and Elijah recruited, some from Russia, some from Sweden, Republic of Ireland and Scotland, some from the US… They're my new suits. One for each of my kids plus some."

Aleksandr shook his head as he looked down at his daughter. "I've already met them all. I approve of them all. They need to get out and do what they were brought into do. Serve and protect you and the Family."

Bri nodded slowly as she looked up at her dad and smiled. "I'm aware of that dad. Oh. My. God. Could you let me have some fun with this?" She stood up from her chair and sighed. "Just keep your eyes out for the new suits. If you see them doing anything stupid, correct them on it. That's what needs to happen."

"Ignore her." Aleksandr shook his head. "You don't need to really worry about the suits since you don't live with Brianna. Be aware that they do exist but you don't need to go out of your way to take them under your wing. That's what Ant and I are for."

"I however am moving back to the Fortress in the next few weeks or so. So, Frey, Igor you will be seeing more of me but I however don't expect you to render your services to me." Bri shrugged her shoulders. "Yevgeny is Kajsa's suit at her dad's request."

"For the first time in a long time, we have heirs to the Hohrykov lineage who have no active suits." Aleksandr looked around at the men in the room. "Monica, Javier, Creed, Mason and Noah don't have suits. I'm not sure if it'll change but I hope it does."

"It's not a big deal." Bri shook her head as she poked at her dad's face. "They don't need suits."

"Don't you always bitch about it though?" Igor looked over at Bri. "I swear I've heard you a few times."

"I bitch about a lot of things Igor." She shot him a nasty look before rolling her eyes. "It's what I do. It's my personality. I don't care that you two are with Jacey and her children. I actually love the fact that they'll always have you two around. You're both better fits for Cam and Kol than you are for my kids."

"We're not doing this shit right now." Aleksandr shook his head as he looked over at Igor and Frey. "Brianna doesn't care about you two being suits for Camryn and Kol. She's a brat but she's not unfair or idiotic. She bitches and moans about shit. That's who she is and always will be. Gotta learn how to take the joke."

"So you aren't mad about us leaving your residence to stay with Jacey and her family?" Frey looked at the brunette. "I thought you were on the account of never asking us to do anything and all the new suits."

"No, I'm not mad." Bri shook her head as she looked at Frey. "The only suit I've ever been mad at was Elijah and I've gotten over that. We're in the direction of patching things up. I gathered you all here because in a few months I want to go back to Russia for a visit.I want all of you there. It's a family trip so you can't pass on it and I'd like you all getting along with the new suits before we go. Look at you guys, you're so dramatic and you call me the drama Queen."

"Basically what she's asking is if you will come with us to Russia in a few months." Aleksandr rolled his eyes. "I swear, this is insane."

Bri smirked. "I also wanted to see you guys shit your pants with the whole being summoned to Charming thing." She laughed as she opened the office door. "Come on, I'll walk you all to your cars." She grabbed Igor's hand and laced their fingers together. "I love you, you know that right? Even if you tell me that I'm bitching. You're as important to me as my dad is. You've been around me so long." She walked with him out of the house, her eyes falling on the line of Audis parked in front of the house. "God, it looks like an Audi dealership out here. I fucking love it."

"Brianna." Igor smiled at the brunette before his attention was drawn away by the sounds of gun shots ringing out. "Down! Down! Down!" He shouted as he pushed the woman to the grass, quickly drawing his weapon as he fired back at the black SUV. "Go after them! Now!" He pointed to Frey and Anthony. "I'll stay here."

"Dad! Dad!" Bri pushed through the swarm of suits rushing towards the cars. "Dad! Dad!" She dropped to the man's side. "Dad, dad. Please stay with me… Please!"

* * *

 **AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you all so much for the feedback for CH 53. I loved it all and another dozen thanks for you guys getting this story to 200 reviews. It's so insane. I appreciate it all so much. I'm glad I'm back into the swing of updating this story since it's no longer on hiatus.  
**

 **I hoped you enjoyed this chapter though. It had more Jax & Bri. The little cliffhanger at the end, don't worry too much about it. The continuation won't take too long to be published. I promise.**


	55. Scared & Scarred

**October 8, 2014**

"Dad!" Bri shouted as gunfire sounded in the distance, her heart beating out of her chest as she looked down at her dad. "Dad! This is not the time to die on me!" She shook her head as she began to cut open his shirt, her eyes looking for fatal shots. "Dad?"

She pulled her shirt off, applying pressure to the gun wound on his lower stomach. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She looked up her eyes finding Jax on the porch gun drawn and phone to his ear. "Call Jacey! Call an ambulance."

"Relax, Brianna." Anthony wrapped his arms around the brunette pulling her away from Aleksandr. "Go, get on a clean shirt the ambulance is on the way. I'll make sure the kids are good."

"He's bleeding!" Bri shrugged out of Anthony's grasp, pushing Roman and Yevgeny out of the way. "I have to help him! He's my dad! He's my dad!" She yelled as she wiped at her face, smearing the man's blood over her porcelain complexion. "Dad just don't die, keep fighting. You'll be good soon."

"Brianna, you need to relax. He's going to be ok." Anthony wrapped her arms back around the brunette, pulling her away as the ambulance pulled up. "Let them do their job… Let them save your father Brianna. Don't get in their way."

"Dad!" She shouted once more before collapsing into a crying mess in Anthony's arms. "Please don't let my dad die! I can't lose him. I just can't lose him!"

"Jax, get her a change of clothes." Anthony growled at Jax. "Now!"

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"So your father is stable, thankfully the bullet didn't hit anything major." The doctor smiled at Brianna who was pacing the room. "He's going to be ok. He should be out of surgery soon."

"Thank you." Brianna nodded slowly, her gaze finally moving up from the floor, instantly spotting her sister. "Jacey!"

The blonde continued to her sister, her brow furrowed as she took in the disheveled state the brunette was in. "What the fuck happened? What's wrong?"

"It was dad, he was shot… He's in surgery." Bri pulled her sister into a hug. "The shooters just came out of nowhere."

Jacey pulled away from the brunette, shaking her head. "He did what?! What do you mean? Is he ok? Where is he?" She looked back at the nurse's desk behind her. "What happened? What is going on, Brianna?"

"We walked out of the house and someone just opened fire on us, dad was hit, in the stomach." She shook her head. "He's in surgery, to remove the bullet."

Jacey looked back at the brunette and shook her head again. "Is he ok? Can we see him? Where's everyone at?" She moved closer to Bri, pulling her into her arms before pushing her away again to check her over. "Were you hit? Was anyone else hit? Where are the kids?"

"We can see him when he gets out soon." Bri shook her head. "The suits are out looking and the kids are with Jax down in the cafeteria. Jacey, it was just horrible. I've never been so scared in my life."

The blonde nodded her head slowly, wiping at the fresh tears rolling down Bri's cheeks. "I'm sorry, I know it must've been scary as fuck. I'm so sorry, Brianna." She leaned forward, kissing her forehead.

"It was…" Bri sighed as she wrapped her arms back around Jacey. "They're trying to figure out if it was Son related or Suit related… Igor and Frey are absolutely pissed off about the situation."

Jacey nodded her head again, pulling Bri toward a blue couch to sit down. "What kind of vehicle were the shooters in? Where are the rest of the Sons?"

"Black SUVs." Bri shrugged. "They've been in and out for the last few hours. I didn't want dad to be here at St. Thomas but had no choice since he was bleeding badly."

The blonde nodded again. "Blacked out or just black? When will he be out of surgery? I left the kids with that fucking girl that Case is fucking! I didn't wanna bring them but shit…" She sighed. "What do we do?"

"Blacked out." Bri looked at her watch. "He should be in the recovery room right now, waking up from sedation."

Jacey nodded once more as she looked down at her stomach. "Had to have been Son related, Niners drive blacked out SUVS. I don't know about the Family though, so maybe I'm just making shit up." She took in a few breaths before shrugging. "Can we go see him?"

"Lord." Bri shook her head as she stood up and held her hand out for the blonde. "Let's go see dad. Cheer him up and love on him."

Jacey looked up and sighed. "He's going to be upset too." She took Bri's hand and stood up slowly. "Why'd this have to fucking happen?" She mumbled to herself as she pushed her hair over her shoulder and let go of Bri's hand.

"I don't know but I'm swearing vengeance on whoever did this shit. Shooting at Jax is one thing but it's a whole new issue when someone shoots at our dad." Bri huffed. "That sounded bad but you know what I mean. Dad never does shit to anyone to warrant bad blood or to be shot at."

Jacey shook her head. "I don't care if I'm pregnant, I'm with you on this. Well fucking rip the state apart together until we find these fuckers." She nodded. "Fucking ridiculous. I swear to god. It's ridiculous!"

"I don't know if I can go in and see him J." Bri shook her head frantically. "I don't like seeing dad vulnerable. It's weird and unnerving."

The blonde nodded her head. "I understand, go down to the cafeteria if you wanna wait." She moved closer to the door. "Be with Jax and your babies."

"No, I have to go in." Bri tapped her nails on her thighs. "Make sure they stitched him up properly. Gave him good medicine. Make him cuddle me for scaring the shit out of me earlier. I know it wasn't his fault but I swore he was gone, especially when Anthony wouldn't let me go back near him."

The blonde nodded her head again. "Well come on, take a deep breath and come in here with me." She pulled Bri to her and secured an arm around her. "You're not alone."

"It's dad." Bri opened the door and paused. "He's the definition of strength, now look at him. He looks like he's pale and frail. J!"

Jacey covered her sister's mouth and shook her head. "Hush. Go lay down beside him. He's pale because of the blood loss, he's not frail. He's still strong." She moved to the chair beside the bed and sat down, grabbing a hold of the man's hand with both of her smaller hands.

"Can you believe her?" Aleksandr rasped as he opened his eye to look at Jacey. "It took you two long enough to get in here."

The blonde shrugged. "She's just worried, don't pick on her. We were trying to go kick someone's ass for shooting you." She leaned forward, laying her head on his arm.

"I want in on that revenge." He smiled as he ran his fingers through the blonde's hair. "I won't give her a hard time, her instincts kicked in perfectly. She went from hysterical doctor to loving daughter and back again."

Jacey closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "Nope. We're putting you on lockdown, you're grounded for ten weeks." She sighed. "She's a nutcase, good thing she's cute though."

"Grounded?" He shook his head. "I can deal with that, as long as I get to cuddle all of the babies. All of them. All at once."

She laughed and nodded her head. "I'll see what I can do on my end. I'm sure the babies are going to insist that you move in with us just for more cuddles." She turned her head so she could look at her dad. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Well, I'm sorry I scared you. I wasn't expecting to be shot in Charming." He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I was just there because your sister called an emergency meeting. We usually get there and get out with no trouble whatsoever."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I can forgive you since it wasn't on purpose. An emergency meeting for what?" She looked at Bri. "Something going on or is this one of those things I'm not supposed to know?"

"Telling the old suits to get along with the new suits so we can go to Russia without any type of problems." Bri shrugged. "It wasn't a serious meeting just me wanting to start planning an amazing family vacation."

The blonde smiled and nodded her head. "That's good, vacations should be fun." She turned her attention back on the man. "You're not going though unless you're better, otherwise you're staying here with me and my monsters."

"It's after you pop out the little one." Bri pointed to Jacey's stomach. "It's a _family_ vacation, which means your family is coming along as well."

"I can't believe I'm basically grounded by my kids. I remember when I used to ground the two of you." Aleksandr chuckled a bit before clutching his stomach. "Laughing is not a good thing right now."

Jacey shook her head. "I don't know about that. Ok, dad, you didn't _have_ to ground us. You just felt like being mean. We're grounding you if you bust any stitches or hurt yourself."

"So does this mean I can't run a 5k or slide over cars to catch bad guys?" He smirked at the blonde. "I'm excited, believe it or not for this little down time and being pampered."

The blonde nodded her head. "That's exactly what this means, Russian James Bond." She shrugged. "You're going to be stuck with me and my monsters while everyone else goes to Russia because you're always getting into trouble over there so it's not happening."

"No." Aleksandr shook his head. "I'm dragging you and your monsters to Russia. It obviously won't be happening until I catch whoever shot me. I don't appreciate being shot unless I do something to warrant it."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "What for? None of my monsters speak Russian, Happy doesn't speak it and he probably wouldn't be able to come because of the club, I don't speak it." She shrugged. "It'd be a little weird. Plus I'll have a newborn and the time change would be bad. No joining your family for a _family_ vacation." She shook his head.

"Fine." Brianna huffed. "You don't have to come on family vacation Jacey." She sat up on the bed and glared at the blonde. "No one is going to force you to join us. I'm going to check on my kids."

"I hate tense situations." Aleksandr watched his eldest daughter storm out of his hospital room. "Just let her simmer down. It'll pass. You don't have to go Jacey. I don't want you feeling weird about being in Russia. You know what right? I want you to always do what's best for you and your family."

The blonde shook her head. "That's just it, I fucking feel like an outcast. I don't feel like family. I'm trying here, I really am but it's fucking difficult when everything feels awkward when I'm around anyone except my kids or Happy or the damn Sons that Happy likes to bring around. I feel like I'm constantly intruding on her and her life and I'm tired of feeling like one big awkward mess."

"That's all in your head Jacey. You're just as much a part of this family as any of us are. I'm sorry that you feel like you're intruding on her life. Have you talked to her about it? I know you two usually end up crying and hugging it out after little talks." He sighed. "It just hurts to know you feel like an outcast when you're not."

Jacey shook her head. "No it's not and it's not some pregnancy moods. I feel like I'm just intruding on this entire family. So after the wedding, I'm pulling back completely. It's too awkward and shit is too off." She shrugged. "I don't mean to hurt you by any means but it's just how I've been feeling. No I haven't talked to her. It'll only piss her off so I'm leaving it alone."

"If that's the way you feel and the way you want to handle it then you have my support." Aleksandr nodded. "You don't have to be around or include yourself in any family event Jacey. I just want you happy."

The blonde nodded her head slowly. "Thank you. Now tell me who you've done pissed off this week…" She smiled at the man.

"I didn't piss off anyone this week.I was away on a trip with Monica for a few days. They went camping. I got to chaperone a lot of twelve year olds. I mostly scared them into behaving though."

Jacey nodded her head again. "Dad! You can't just scare them… When are you going to let my child move in? He's gotta this stripping shit he does and Hap can only beat his ass so much."

"He can move in whenever you want to drop him off." He smiled. "I'll shape him up."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Shape him up into an even fatter little shit… Your snack buddy is going to weigh about 800 pounds before he's ten."

"He'll lose the baby fat. He's going to be as tall as a tree." Aleksandr sat up further in bed and grinned. "I have to snack with Monica when I don't have Kol. It's a bit awkward. She doesn't eat like he does."

Jacey laughed a little. "Where's he gonna get all that height from? Not my short ass." She shook her head. "I swear I love him, damn little monster. He's a mess."

"He's going to get it from his father." He nodded. "I love him too. He's my favorite but I'll deny it if it's ever brought up outside of this room."

Jacey gasped. "I'm telling my poor daughter! My poor baby girl. That's fine, she still has her Igor." She smiled. "Hap's not a giant. That's a lie but so."

"I still love my Camryn dearly." Aleksandr waved the blonde off. "I don't know. It's like Kol and I have a relationship that's on an entirely new level. Like I literally get sad when he has to leave me or vice versa. Like he's basically my best friend Jacey."

The blonde nodded her head. "Then give him more time because if I have to hear about you one more time, I'll start breaking things." She laughed a little. "He loves you so much. Misses you."

"I'll give him all the time he can handle." Aleksandr nodded. "More sleepovers and day trips with him. Give him to me when I get out of here. I need Kol cuddles. He's the best."

Jacey shook her head. "No no no. I miss him when he's away from me." She shrugged.

"You can join us." He smirked. "I just want more Kol in my life."

Jacey nodded her head slowly. "I'm definitely ok with that. I miss you a lot."

"I miss you too." He nodded as he looked at her. "You never come to my house and bug me anymore."

The blonde shrugged. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to my life together. I'll start coming over again just for you:"

"I understand." Aleksandr smiled. "Take all the time you need."

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Brianna watched Jacey finally exit the hospital room before she walked back in, instantly climbing onto the bed and relaxing against her father. "You scared me today. I know it wasn't your fault but you scared me. I hated thinking for a moment that I was going to be without you dad. I never wanna feel that way again. You're not old enough. You can't leave us just yet."

"It's going to take more than a bullet to the gut to take me out Brianna." Aleksandr rubbed the brunette's arm and sighed. "Thank you for staying at my side until the ambulance came."

"Don't thank me for that. It's instinct. You're my dad, I had to make sure you were ok." She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm sorry I just left you and J earlier. She was just annoying me with her bullshit. Like why even interact with us at all if she doesn't wanna be part of family shit?"

"Drop it." He waved the brunette off. "I don't wanna get involved with any shit between the two of you. Just let her do what she wants and what will make her happy and you do the same. It's simple as that. Give her space."

"Yeah, yeah." Bri nodded as she settled into the bed and sighed. "It's just annoying you know? Like I'm engaged and the one person I really want to tell won't even be that happy about it because she basically hates the man I'm going to marry. Like I know she'll be happy for me but like it's not going to be the same…"

"Yeah but you'll get through it." He nodded. "You do have to tell her, she'll probably be upset that you didn't tell her when it happened though."

"Yeah, yeah I know." She shrugged her shoulders. "How about we just focus on you again. All of a sudden, I don't want to be the topic of the conversation any longer."

"Never thought I'd hear that come from your mouth." Aleksandr chuckled. "But fine, we can focus on me again. Just cuddle me and find a hot nurse to take care of me."

 **October 12, 2014**

"Have we found the fuckers that shot my dad yet?" Brianna inquired as she dropped onto the leather sofa across from Anthony, Igor and Frey. "I want them found before the Sons find them. I want you all to handle them. I don't want them getting into the Sons' custody."

"We have them." Igor nodded. "We're waiting for Aleksandr to get a bit better so he can join in on the fun."

"Good, good." The brunette nodded and smiled. "That's all I wanted to know. I love Jax to death but he would've just made some bullshit ass truce with the shooters. I want them dead. I want them all dead. No one shoots at my family and gets away with it."

"I'm over here, just smiling like a fool. We raised you right." Igor smiled at the brunette. "We'll take care of it. Just give us a few days because of your dad needing to be at one hundred percent."

"Good." Bri stood back up. "I love you guys. I gotta go feed the twins, so be safe driving out of here. I'll talk to you all soon." She moved out of the living room and towards the nursery, her grey hues falling on Jax and the twins. "You know you can't exactly feed them. You wanna pass them over?"

"Yeah." Jax smiled at the brunette as he passed the twins to Bri. "They're both just staring at me like they're waiting for something."

"They're waiting for you to whip out your tits and feed them." She laughed as she sat down in the rocking chair. "My little fatties. I love them so much. Look at all of the hair and these smiles. You two are just so perfect like the rest of the kids."

"Any leads on the guys?" He looked at his fiance and smiled. "I know you don't just powwow with the suits for nothing."

"They found them. Handled it." She shrugged as she looked up at Jax. "No worries about it. No one shoots my dad and gets away with it. I've also decided that after Christmas we will be back in the Fortress. Where there are wrought iron gates, security cameras and a guards at the fence that lets people into the neighborhood. I can't be vulnerable anymore Jax. I almost lost my dad and if he would've died that way. I don't know if I could've continued on properly."

"If that will make you feel safe, then we can get the move started." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "I love you Brianna, don't forget that ok?"

"I love you too."She smiled at him. "Take one of these potatoes and burp him."

"Why do you call them potatoes?" Jax shook his head. "They don't look like potatoes."

"Oh, it was the cutest thing. Kajsa was like 'look at these potatoes, I love 'em'." She chuckled. "It just stuck. Don't judge us. They don't seem to mind being called potatoes either." She shook her head as she adjusted Mason on her chest and began to burp him. "I can't wait until my other babies get home. I need Javi and Moni cuddles. Dad needs to give 'em back already."

"We'll have a full house once again." Jax smirked. "I gotta admit, I miss them too. It's too quiet without those two around. I'm ready for them to be back too."

"Good." Bri smirked. "I love the full house. It's what I've always wanted. A large and loving family. Now, the only thing we have to focus on now is getting married. I can't wait for the wedding. It's going to be magical."

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 **AN: Thank you all for the reviews last chapter. Sorry about the cliffhanger but alas Aleksandr is alive and well. So yaaay.  
**


	56. Amazing Match

**October 18, 2014**

Jax let his hand ghost over the brunette's frame as she stood before him, dressed in nothing but her skirt and bra as she yelled in Russian at whoever was on the other line. He licked his lips, taking in the art work that covered her flawless skin before he leaned forward, kissing her neck, chuckling softly as he heard her words falter a bit. "Just hang up."

"Shh." Bri shook her head as she looked at the man before finally giving in and ending the aggravating call. "I swear it's like they don't understand me when I speak English and when I yell at them in Russian, it's just terrible. I hate customer service reps so much. They don't even help." She tossed her phone onto the dresser before her hands moved up the man's shirt and rested on his chest. "I missed you too…"

He nodded as he pulled back to look at her face, slowly backing her up towards their large bed. "I did miss you. Missed you a lot." He moved his hands to her ass and squeezed roughly as his lips were back on her neck. "I love when you wear this skirt."

"I know you do." She murmured as her hands dropped to his sweats before starting to push them down his body. "You know I can't help myself when you're like this. I can't even deal with you right now."

"Good." He smirked at her as he helped her out of the skirt, leaving her in a skimpy lingerie set. "I forget you do the whole thong and garter set underneath your work clothes." He licked his lips once more, watching her take her bra off and letting it drop to the floor. "You're gorgeous."

"I went through a naughty secretary phase when I was younger and it never stopped. I just love wearing white and lots of lingerie…" She smirked back at him as she laid back on the bed. "We have kids, we gotta make this really quick." She chuckled as she slipped the thong down her legs and tossed it at him.

He nodded as he let the skimpy piece of fabric fall to the floor as he climbed onto the bed, stopping to pause between her legs. "Not too quick though." He shook his head as he rested his large hands on her hips, pulling her down to him and wrapping her legs around his waist. "Wanna enjoy it."

"Five minutes or five hours, I'd still enjoy it, now that we're allowed to have sex." She let out a low moan as she felt him push into her slowly. "Fuck. Yeah, I missed that so damn much babe."

"This is just perfect…" Jax trailed off as he continued a slow pace, his blue eyes fixed on the gorgeous brunette's face. "I love you."

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"Here babe." Bri set a beer in front of Jax and smiled as she sat down next to him. "Thanks for letting me nap away the afternoon. I needed it a whole lot."

Jax smirked at the brunette as he took a sip of the beer. "I know. As you would say, 'I put in work'."

"Shut up." She laughed and shook her head as she took a bite of his burger. "Let's talk about something for one moment. It's very serious and very important. Like, about the fact the Niners basically shot up our home. They shot my dad and that's not something they took lightly. So I want you to know that the shooters were like killed or whatever. I dunno. I wasn't actually present, they didn't invite even though I told them to."

"Okay." He nodded slowly as he set his beer down, he knew this was a long coming conversation but he had always hoped to avoid it. "I appreciate your little Suits handling it all this time but for any further instances, I'd like it to just be handled by the club since it'd be a club problem Brianna."

"Are you nicely scolding me?" Bri shook her head before sighing. "Yes, Jax. I will let you and your club handle any other attacks that may come. I hear ya loud and clear. I will not interfere with your club's business. I will keep my distance. I promise."

"Bri, I'm not scolding you babe." He shook his head as he grabbed her hands. "I just want it all to be handled by the club. It makes us look weak when we can't even handle our own beef." He sighed. "Forgive me yeah? I just want you safe." He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her cheek as he saw Creed run into the room. "Your little devil is energetic."

"MoMo has a snake!" Javier sprinted into the living room. "It was in her boot in the backyard!"

"Oh. My. God!" Monica walked into the living room, a garter snake wrapped around her wrist as she talked on the phone. "Like do you guys see this? Do you see this thing? Can I keep it? I promise I will care for it. It was already living in my boot."

Bri looked at her daughter and nodded her head slightly. "I always thought you were afraid of snakes and only liked Happy's snakes because they're just tattoos."

The brunette shook her head. "I like this snake, if he were bigger I'm not entirely sure that I'd be as excited. Especially if he were venomous." She smiled. "I already named him Reaper so he's part of our family. He's our newest pet. I just need to keep Monster from trying to turn him into a snack. God bless that stupid dog. It's seems like we've had him for years now mom."

"Leave Monster alone, he's old. He doesn't have much time left with us." Bri shook her head and sighed. "If you want to keep that snake, you need to do some research first to make sure that he can survive an enclosure since he's used to being out and about in the backyard."

"I will." Monica nodded eagerly as she looked back at her phone. "They say I can keep him. I just need to research him. You can help me. I'll buy you Shake Shack the next time I'm at my Papa's house. Whatever, yeah. I named it Reaper, so I want to keep it."

"Who is she even talking to right now?" Jax shook his head as he lifted Creed off the floor. "Who's your sister talking to? Huh?"

"Her boyfriend!" Javier laughed as he looked up at Jax. "His name is Hunter! He lives next to Papa and he always brings her fries and milkshakes!"

"Oh." Jax shook his head again as he looked back at Brianna and smirked. "I remember when she was six and used to invite me to tea parties and ballet classes. Now she's into snakes and supposedly has a boyfriend. Time is flying too fast. My baby girl is growing up too fast. Make her stop Brianna."

"I also remember you coming home from Happy and Jacey's, being a little heated that Happy didn't take too kindly to you calling his daughter your baby girl." Bri shook her head. "Hunter is a good kid though. Aleksandr doesn't have anything to say about him at all." She smiled at him. "We're just ticking the days away until she's a full out teenager. Then you'll go into overdrive with her and how much she's growing up."

"Mo." Creed sighed as he trailed his tiny hands through his dad's hair. "My Mo."

"Everyone is his." Bri smirked at her son. "Keep him like that though. He's sleepy, put him to sleep for an hour."

"Javi baby come here." Bri held her arms out to her oldest son and smiled. "I miss my Javi Baby cuddles so much. Did you have fun talking to your dad this morning?"

Javier nodded as he jumped on his mom and wrapped himself around her. "I miss being called Javi Baby." He buried his face in her hair and smiled. "Yes, we talked about robots! He said he'll teach me how to fly a helicopter. A toy one not a real one mom, so don't freak out ok?"

"Yes my love." Bri nodded. "I won't freak out. I will be totally and completely calm over this all."

"Lies." He giggled as he kissed her cheek. "You always freak out over things mom."

She shook her head. "I mean that's not a total lie but shh." She smirked at him and nodded. "I love you. What are we gonna do with all this hair? I hear you finally want a haircut, that you want all this luscious goodness to be short and to the point. Am I booking you an appointment?"

"Yes." Javier nodded. "I want it short! Like Elijah's hair was but cooler!" He smiled at her. "No more long hair for me mom. I don't like it!"

"Like Elijah's but cooler huh." She nodded slowly and smiled. "I'll book that appointment then. It'll be your first real haircut and it'll be amazing."

"Mmmhm." Javier grinned. "Just like Lijah's but cooler. When's he coming home huh? Is he just hiding in Russia because he doesn't wanna be like Papa anymore?"

"He's in Russia taking care of his family." Bri smiled. "He's still like your Papa. I will get you the haircut. Now, take Creed and make sure that Monica is actually researching on the snake and not just laying around her room talking to Hunter and letting the snake slither around."

"Well, I can go babysit Mo." Javier nodded as he looked back at Jax and smiled. "I need your mini me Jax! We're on babysitting duty! Come on Creed, let's go make sure she's behaving!"

"God, I love them." Bri watched the boys move out of the room and sighed. "They're going to give Monica so much hell. It's going to be madness in a hour or so."

"That's the first positive shit I've heard you speak about Elijah, usually when he's brought up, you get the stink face and want to murder people." Jax smirked at the brunette. "Any more wedding details I need to know of?"

"Shut up, don't bring it up." She waved him off and nodded. "No new wedding shit. We haven't been in the planning mood. Not at all." She shook her head and sighed. "We plan to talk it over when she comes back though."

"Is the strip club business good? She's always gone a lot on trips." He irked an eyebrow at her. "I'm just asking."

Bri nodded. "Yes, it's a good business. You should know pussy sells. Your club owns a fucking porn studio." She shook her head. "I see the wheels in your head turning. So, if you want to talk to her about it. She will be home in two days. You two can talk money and talent."

"I will talk to her. Maybe it'll go through unlike the deal I tried cutting with Alex." He smiled at her. "Because you're right pussy does sell and I'm in the pussy business darlin'."

"Oh no! Jackson Teller just hit me with a _darlin'_!" She laughed and shook her head as she rolled off the sofa. "I love it. Now come on. Come on. Let's get this settled. Let's figure out which of us is going to be the groom and which of us will be the bride. With all the hair between us, it's going to cost a shit load for a hairstylist."

"I'm just trying to get this done and over with right now. I'm the groom, you're the bride. You don't need a hairstylist, you do your hair everyday. I like it when it's straight and kinda just there." He lowered himself to the floor, resting his legs over hers. "Like how it is now. Minus the little headband thing."

" _Straight and just kinda there_." She grinned up at him, her grey hues on his blue hues. "I love you. I love this goofy, carefree, fun side of you Jax. God, I just love you so much. I love when your hair is just messy, like when you wake up in the morning and it's just a wild mess. Then you just gotta shower and ruin it all by wearing a hat. Ugh, I could smack you for it babe."

"Yeah, like the first night I laid eyes on you. Your hair was straight and super long." He shrugged. "Or the first time we hung out. It was straight and you kept tugging on the ends of your hair like you were nervous about something. First time we had sex, it was straight until afterwards, then it sorta started curling up around your face…"

"So, you do pay attention to all the little details." She laced their fingers together, her thumbs playing with the rings that adorned the man's fingers. Letting out a long sigh she looked back at him, her eyes glimmering with love and adoration. "I really am truly happy that we're together Jax. Like I'm happy that we're engaged but I would've been happy even if you never asked me to marry you. Like, man, I'm just in a really good place these days. It's wonderful."

"Yes, of course I do. I know I fucked it up ten times over when we first started whatever it was we had going. I know I kinda looked at it as us using each other since you were trying to fuck Juice over." He kissed her hand and nodded. "I really thought I lost all chances with you when you and Juice got together and you popped out a kid with him- I'm just happy none of the negatives I have turned you away from me for good."

"Do not bring up the Juice saga. The only amazing thing that came from that was my little baby Javi." She shook her head. "You know what I realized? I could be considered a ladder climbing croweater. Kinda worked my way up in the ranks." She laughed and covered her face. "Sounds terrible but maybe that's why none of the croweaters give me shit or go near you when I'm around. I dunno what they do when I'm not around though."

"No, no. There's a difference between you and a croweater. You're pretty and they're not." He chuckled. "I don't consider you one though. It's not like you dedicated your adult life to fucking with Sons until one decided to make you his old lady. I'm pretty sure you gave me a fucking difficult ass time with giving me a second chance. I remember one time you told me to go home to my wife. Even though it was after the divorce was final. We both have a divorce under our belts. See, another thing in common."

"I would hope you wouldn't see me as one." she laughed. "I don't think my first husband being _killed_ would be considered me being divorced. I'm considered a damn widow back home but I filed the proper paperwork to removed the last name from every possible record I have."

"I consider it to be a divorce." He chuckled and nodded his head eagerly before standing up to his feet and pulling her up. "We make an amazing match Hohrykova."

Bri smirked. "I agree." She nodded slightly. "We're an amazing match Teller. Now, let's figure out what we can do before the twins wake up. I'm thinking a five minute quickie in the guest bathroom."

"Oh, I'm following right after you _darlin'_." Jax smirked back at her. "Love you."

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 **Once again, thank you all for the support and reviews last chapter. It was all amazing. I appreciated it all so very much. :)**


	57. Truths

**heads up, this chapter is a whole lot of Bri and Jacey fluff, followed by a bit of Jax and Bri and their shenanigans at the end. :) I hope you enjoy it all though.**

 **October 27, 2014**

Brianna Hohrykova sat in her Audi, twisting the ring on her finger as she stared up at the Bat Cave. She had decided enough was enough and she needed to tell Jacey the news that she was in fact engaged to Jax and that there was going to be an over the top double wedding in the near future. "I can do this." She let out a slow breath as she looked back at Creed and smiled. "I can tell the news to Jacey and I won't run away like a scaredy cat."

Creed nodded as he poked at the button of his seatbelt. "No cats mom!"

"Agreed, those things are icky." She shook her head as she turned around and unfastened the tiny blonde. "Will you hold my hand while I tell her the news? She won't smack me if you're in my arms babe."

"Yes. I'll hold your hands." He climbed over the seat and into his mom's lap, taking her face in his little hands as he kissed her chin. "Love you."

"Love you too." She kissed him and smiled. "You think your brothers are safe with your dad, Monica and Javi?"

He shook his head and giggled. "No!"

"So, we gotta make this quick, huh?" She opened the car door and slid out, keeping her son close to her. "We're here to break some happy news. It'll be fun."

"Fun." Creed wrapped his arms around her neck and grinned. "Aunt J is here?"

"Yup baby, she's here." Bri nodded as she pressed the doorbell three times before stopping. "Your Aunt J is on the other side of this door."

"Oh." He looked at the door before wiggling. "Down, please!"

"Yes sir." She set him down to his feet. "Go press the doorbell all you want. They can't get mad at you and that face of yours baby."

The door was pulled open to the blonde the pair was looking for and Jacey smiled. "Hi. What do I owe this pleasure?" She bent down and lifted up her nephew. "Hi handsome, do you like my doorbell?"

"Yes." Creed nodded and smiled. "It's fun."

The blonde nodded her head. "Is it? I normally don't mess with doorbells, they annoy me so I try not to annoy other people." She kissed his cheek. "What are you and your mama up to today?"

"Bonding." He grinned as he trailed his fingers through her hair. "We had milkshakes!"

Jacey gasped, looking up at Bri. "Milkshakes? Oh, that sounds good, babe." She smiled at the brunette as she tilted her head back a little. "Do you want to come here or just stand in the heat?"

"Why don't you tell her what you learned from your dad Creed." Bri smiled as she walked into the house, slipping out of her sneakers. "Look at me, finally following a house rule without having to be yelled at about it ten times before I do it."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "No one yells at you to follow rules." She turned, walking into the living room. "I'm sorry if you came to see Hap or the kids. Hap's at the clubhouse and the kids are taking their naps."

"I was being dramatic." Bri shrugged. "Nope. I already saw Happy today. I am not here to see the kids. I am here to see you and talk to you about some things."

Jacey nodded her head as she sat down in the recliner, adjusting Creed on her lap. "Oh well alright then, let's talk about things."

"My name is Jackson." Creed poked at Jacey's cheeks and giggled. "Jackson!"

The blonde laughed a little and nodded her head. "I know, handsome. Jackson Creed Teller. Your mama told me what she was naming you when you were still in her belly." She ran her fingers through the toddler's hair. "Look at all this hair. I think your hair is almost better than mine."

"That's his hair after trimming four inches off of it earlier." Bri shook her head. "It is just growing too fast and everyone keeps calling him a girl and he hates that so much." She smiled. "Anyways, I'm here to tell you the news. Jax and I are engaged."

Jacey looked at Bri with raised eyebrows. "Engaged? Wow, Bri." She nodded her head slowly. "Congratulations."

"Yup." She nodded and grinned. "He even got me this gorgeous ring. I'm excited about it. It was so unexpected. It threw me off but I'm happy about it."

The blonde nodded again and smiled. "It is gorgeous, he did good. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." Bri nodded. "To be honest, I was terrified of telling you this."

Jacey rolled her eyes as she scoffed. "What for? Am I supposed to attack you or something? Be mad about this?" She shook her head. "You know, I'm not that big a bitch like I'm made out to be, Brianna. I'm happy that you're happy. Marrying Jax makes you happy? Then great, I need this for you. Your happiness is highly important to me."

"No. No. I just didn't want you to be disappointed in me. Your opinion is highly important to me. I know sometimes I ignore it completely but it is important." Bri sighed. "I don't know. I know that it's stupid to feel that way but it's how I feel."

Jacey nodded her head. "Well alright then. Nonetheless, I'm happy for you. You deserve all the happiness in the world."

"Thank you J." Bri smiled. "That means a lot to me."

The blonde smiled as she ran her hand through her hair. "You're welcome. Now, what else is bothering you?"

"Having a double wedding with Nik and Anthony." Bri sighed. "It's not bothering me exactly. I think it's going to be fun. Plus, it'll prevent wedding overload."

Jacey looked down at her protruding belly and nodded her head. "Sounds fun. But I meant what I asked. I know you, Brianna, what's _bothering_ you?"

"But I don't think anything is bothering me Jacey. I'm happy. I have my family. Dad is better. The shooters are gone for good. You're all knocked up and adorable." She chuckled. "I guess I'm a bit stressed about wedding preparations though."

The blonde nodded her head slowly. "Ok, then quit rubbing your knuckles like that before you rub your skin off." She laughed a little. "Adorable? I'm just chunky. This is not pregnant anymore. I threw my wedding together within a month's time or less. You can handle it, babe. I'll help you or your sister if you two need it. It's honestly not as bad as people make it out to be. The only thing I went all _bridezilla_ about if the food. Hap kept trying to tell me what we were gonna have on the menu and he wouldn't listen to me and the hippo's craving so I made him leave the room and sleep down here." She laughed a little.

"Fine, why don't you wanna be a part of the family?" Bri looked at the blonde. "A few months ago, you would've been all over a family trip to Russia."

Jacey laughed, rolling her eyes. "Apart of the family? This makeshift family we've created? I never said I didn't want to be apart of any family. Pregnancy hormones aren't on the attack either, so don't go there. I told you at the reveal party that I felt awkward being around Nik and Anthony, you basically laughed it off like I'm bat-shit. I'm not, thanks. I feel like I'm disliked, unwanted and annoying. Why in the hell would I go across the world feeling like that?" She kissed Creed's cheeks before she lifted him off of her lap as she stood. "That's your cue to get upset, flustered or flat out pissed off and storm out of here."

"I just don't see how you feel that way. Like everyone fucking loves you." Bri sighed as she stood up and grabbed Creed's hands. "Like, I guess I don't know what you're really going through and I'm sorry you feel the way you do."

The blonde nodded her head. "I'm not going through anything, it's called sitting and watching things around you. Like my wedding, Nik barely said one goddamn word to me during the two seconds I even saw her. Anthony cannot and I use that word so strongly, he cannot stand to be my damn vicinity. Oh and while I'm at it, let's just discuss how much I feel like I bother the fuck out of _you_." She rolled her eyes. "You know how much it bothers me that I _always_ need you? I can't do a damn thing in my life without thinking about you and if what my actions do will hurt you." Jacey sighed. "You don't need a damn thing from me but I constantly need you or your help… I'm sick of it."

"Well that's on them and whatever shit they have. You don't bother me Jacey. Never have and you never fucking will. I don't mind always being around for you. I always need your approval. I just I don't know, like depending on myself to get my shit handled. It's just how I'm programmed to be. I'm sorry that I don't come to you more often. It's just that I'm the oldest and I can't dump my shit on you." Bri shook her head. "I just want to be the best for you. I always want to be around for you. It never bothers me. I bother me though, with my inability to reach out and ask for help."

Jacey scrunched up her face before she leaned down to pick up her nephew. "No, no, no. It's not on them and now you're doing some double wedding with them. It's honestly hard enough distracting Kol from his Kajsa rant because I don't want to fucking rock their boat." She kissed Creed's cheek and started laughing. "This red lipstick looks good on you, babe. If that's how things are going to be, then let it be, Brianna. I'll continue to rely on you and you continue to be you. But 'family trips'? I'm not actual family in the first place so I don't need to be included in these trips."

"I was going to do one over the top wedding because the first thing that came to mind was a rooftop wedding in Vegas." Bri chuckled. "Then I was thinking that it'd be annoying for everyone to go to three weddings in less than a year. So, the doubling up seemed like an amazing idea."

Jacey nodded her head. "Then do that, you and your sister sharing your wedding days. It's sweet, honestly." She smiled. "I was the original one to actually step out of line here. Nik was next up to get married, I missed my chance so I'm sorry."

"It's fine. You're the older sister, you did your day and it was beautiful. I don't know how well you would've liked sharing a day with me." Bri chuckled. "I think there would've been some type of competition involved."

The blonde shook her head. "The older sister to what? Ya know what? I'm not going there. I should stop before this starts some big shit like back in May." She sighed. "I'm being abused so bad right now and I want to just knock my kid out."

"I'm sorry, my mistake. Nik isn't your sister. I'll remember that." Bri nodded. "I'm sorry the kid is being mean to you J." She lifted Creed up and frowned. "I wish I could make you more comfortable or something."

Jacey shook her head. "I didn't mind it, I never cared that you referred to us all as sisters. It was nice considering in damn reality, you two are sisters and I'm just a friend to you. It was great, really. But you can't force people to like other people, Bri." She shrugged. "Besides, I wasn't made for all of this. You're programmed to be on your own and the fact of the matter is, so am I."

"Just a friend?" The brunette nodded slowly as she looked down at her son. "Alright then."

The blonde stepped toward Bri, taking the toddler from her. "Do you remember where Kol's room is, babe?"

"I do." Creed nodded. "Down please!"

She kissed his forehead before setting him on his feet. "Go get him, babe." She watched the toddler head for the stairs before her blue eyes found the brunette again. "I love you far too much sometimes. Do you know how bad it is for us and the safety of our relationship?"

"Yeah, I know." Bri nodded. "I know."

Jacey sighed heavily before shaking her head. "Nothing will ever change that and that's just something I'm accepting. It's just something that just has to be let go, no need in wasting energy trying to act differently or anything. I'm going to get some juice and take it to Kol, I'll grab Creed while I'm up there."

"Okay." Bri shrugged as she braided her hair off to the side. "Alright, bring him down and we'll get out of your hair for the day."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "You're not my hair, Brianna. You and the kid. Especially the kid. I'm not bothered by any damn visitors… Because believe or not. I don't get that many. I'm honestly done counting Frey a visitor too. The fucker just lives here again."

"I don't get visitors either unless I call some bullshit meeting." Bri shrugged. "Thankfully, I got my monsters to entertain me. Creed is the best. He's starting to talk way more. He's my kid after all, it's lovely."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I don't even get cool meetings. I have to grab my kids and their fucking two hundred pound bags before I can even go anywhere. Let's not even discuss how disturbing trips to the clubhouse are. I hate seeing everyone except Hap and Case. By the way, I forgot to inform you in this season's new dilemma."

"I mean, you have suits. You can call meetings with them." Bri chuckled. "I tell the kids, pick one thing and get in the car. I do pack snacks though. I don't like the clubhouse. I'm still trying to get them to keep it clean and smoke free but that's wishful thinking on my part."

Jacey nodded her head. "I have two. Two suits. Stop acting like I have a damn army. I still don't even know what Hippo's gonna do. Maybe she'll buck the system and just like being by herself." She rolled her eyes. "Some slut is adamant about being with Hap and being pregnant with his child."

"Two suits who are at the top of their game. Have them murder the bitch, duh." Bri shrugged. "Doesn't she know that I'm the only slut besides you that can claim being knocked up by Happy? She's stepping in my territory." She chuckled.

The blonde shook her head slowly. "Two suits that are in the doghouse right now because they took my fucking supply of hot sauce and hid it from me. They think I'm eating too much hot stuff." She shrugged. "I'm waiting for the DNA test to come back because as much as I believe he's not the father of this child, the irrational side of me is freaking out because he could have another child by someone else." She shrugged. "I'm stupid I know and completely unfair but still, I can't help it."

"You're the head bitch, keep those fuckers in check." Bri smiled and nodded. "When is it supposed to be back? Are you gonna beat her ass for this shit because I would. Her face isn't pregnant."

Jacey rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Yeah but they took my hot sauce! I cried about it, like i dropped to the couch and sobbed before getting up to go hide in my bed. It's the Hippo's fault, she loves her hot sauce." She laughed a little. "I will hunt her down and hurt her once I have given birth. I'm not putting me or my daughter at risk because Happy's an idiot."

"You want me to kick Happy's ass because I certainly will. I'll just sneak up behind him at the clubhouse and kiss his face with a bat." Bri grinned. "You can have my hot sauce." She fished around her purse and pulled out a bottle. "See, you and Hippo can be good again."

Jacey shook her head again. "You know what I really want, Brianna? Like really, really, really want…" She shrugged. "No beating the baby daddy, he's cute. He's handsome as hell too, just slap him upside his head _if_ the DNA test says that whore's baby is his. It should be back tomorrow. Case got the dumbass to take it because he slept with her and told her he just wanted to be in the clear of Happy, he didn't want Hap to kill him if sleeping with his girl." She rolled her eyes. "She's clearly as bright as black fucking crayon."

"What do you want?" Bri nodded. "Case slept with her? I thought he was supposed to be the smart one. Not an idiot. Which reminds me. Something is up with that idiot friend of yours, Juicy Fruit."

Jacey nodded her head. "To have her. Like I just want her here and to cuddle with her. I can't wait til May, Bri! It's too far away." She shook her head. "Oh no, no, no… He slept her when she first showed up around the club. Back during the summer, she was new and shit. My little boyfriend is still the smart one between Kozik and Hap." She laughed. "What's going on?"

"You'll end up having her early." Bri smiled. "Your babies don't wait for their due dates." She shrugged. "You know, the suits wanted to kill Case off a few months ago?" She shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't know. He showed up, asking for help one night. He called me Kat and everything, then I didn't hear from him for a while and he just shows up a week ago out of nowhere with presents for Javier."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Out of all of the pregnancies, she's actually not so mean to me. She just gets in these kicking moods and they _hurt_ so much." She rolled her eyes. "Why? What the fuck did my Case do? Something's going on with the club, Brianna. I don't know much about it but from Case told me, he's not in Jax's good graces. I honestly wouldn't lean on him for help right now. If I were you."

"I liked when Mason kicked but not Noah because he got all weird in the womb and his head was at the front and his feet would kick my spine." Bri shook her head. "I dunno why exactly but they just wanted to kill him, like I'm talking abandoned warehouse, weird tools type kill. I figured something is up with the club. Jax is starting to leave more again. Like I said, I am independent and lean on myself."

Jacey rolled her eyes and pointed to her stomach. "That's the only way she kicks, she just roams around like she's got all the space in the world." She sighed. "Why didn't you ask? What the fuck. I don't like that at all. Happy damn sure wouldn't let that shit just go, Brianna. He loves that kid more than he lets on." She shook her head. "Don't trust him when it comes to Juice, Brianna. Since you popped up in Jax's life, like before Creed. He started having his problems with Juice."

"Because I try not to ask too many questions anymore. I figured if they were going to do anything, the order was handed down from Elijah. They just simply changed their minds last minute though and that's all I know." Bri nodded. "I know Hap and Case have a cute bromance going on. It's just adorable. I don't trust him when it comes to Juice. Juice looked terrified of Jax. You see my dilemma though? I'm in the middle. My main instinct is to protect Juice."

The blonde nodded her head. "I'll call that Russian fucker in a little bit. See what the hell is going on…" She sighed. "I see it, I do. But let me make something a little more clear for you. Jax had his own mother killed, there's no boundaries anymore. Follow that instinct or I will for you."

"Good, tell him to give Bash kisses for me because I just love every Nasonov brother but Elijah." Bri chuckled. "I'm so petty, stop me right now. Don't tell him that. I know Jacey. I'm going to follow instinct. The last thing I need is for him to kill me… That'd start a war. Dad would rip Jax limb from limb or whatever."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "That boy is a damn mess, oh my god. I love him though, he's precious. Love Elijah, he loves you." She sighed. "Jax wouldn't kill you, he's smart enough to know better. Minus the war it'd start with the Russians. It'd start an internal war, Happy would put him in his warehouse. Hate to break it to you, but the man doesn't play about his priss."

"I know Elijah loves me." Bri nodded. "You never know. He could become the _Mad King_. Start to slowly lose his shit and just think that everyone around him is out to get him… It's a thing. King Henry of France started to lose his mind. He became a loose cannon. Tried starting wars and shit for no reason."

Jacey nodded her head. "And at the point, if the man starts to go _mad_ , I'm taking him out of this entire equation. Do you follow that?" She started rubbing her belly. "Not dad, not any suits, not my idiot husband. Me. I make that kill."

"I mean come on, he's already half way to mad. He's marrying me and my large family. I won't be surprised if one day he asks for Russian support." Bri nodded slowly as she pushed on Jacey's belly. "I will let you do the honor if he goes mad."

The blonde shrugged. "Honey, I willingly let my children spend time with your psychotic ass. We're all mad at this point." She smirked as she moved Bri's hand to a lower spot. "It's not about honor, it's about him being my kill. I want the _right_."

"No, no. I sought help for my case of the psychos, the doctors gave me a bill of good health." She chuckled. "Oh baby flutters. I can't say that I miss this but pregnant is good on you. You can do it. He can be your kill if he loses his marbles. But you should've seen the cute little argument him and Creed had this morning. Nearly died from it."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Baby, it's in your blood. You can't get rid of it. You should fill my belly when Hap kisses it, the movement almost makes me nauseous. You think I'm cute or just fat and growing? I hate him, but Kozik keeps talking shit about how fat I am!" She rolled her eyes again before she shrugged. "What was the argument about? I'm pretty sure Kol lead the baby to Cami and they're either getting painted on or cuddling with her."

"I think you're cute." Bri smiled. "Fuck Kozik. He's an idiot, he doesn't know how to let up sometimes." She nodded. "Who's the better Jackson. Obviously it's Creed. Even though I will forever see him as a Creed and never a Jackson."

The blonde nodded her head slowly as she placed Bri's on her belly again. "Keep talking, she enjoys it apparently. She's not kicking as bad when you talk." She rolled her eyes. "Jax is stupid if he thinks he's the better one. My handsome little twin is much more amazing and perfect anyway." She laughed a little. "Ah, I'm supposed to tell you your tattoo is finished by the way."

"Maybe she is trying to figure out who I am, she better realize that I'm her favorite Aunt. The one and only Aunt. I will love and cuddle on her when she arrives." Bri chuckled. "Jax is dumb but Creed set him straight. That boy is going places even if it is straight to the head of that Redwood table." She shook her head. "What tattoo and where do you suggest I put it?"

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what's going on, but she's calm when you're talking and that rubbing you're doing is so pleasant." She smiled. "Creed is my favorite thing, oh my god. He's so damn wonderful. Hap told me to text you and tell you your request tattoo was finished. I don't know."

"She loves me so much. This rubbing is how i found comfort when Noah would just kick me like a maniac." Bri smiled. "Creed is my little genius. Oh, oh. Alright. I know what you're talking about. Only took _forever_ , literally."

Jacey started laughing. "What is it about you that makes my babies love you so much? Can I pay for you just to rub my belly like this?" She nodded. "I just love him. I wish you be in the room with him and Hap when they go at it… Hey! Don't get sassy, he was getting his baby mama back. That was important work."

"Yes, actually you can. I can only do it for a few hours at a time though. The twins still like it straight from the source, even though they seem to be a year old already. They're so heavy J." She nodded slowly. "Hap is pretty much Creed's best friend. I'm not getting sassy. I think I requested this tattoo a few years ago, before this tattoo I got on my thigh."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "That's fine, I'll make Hap grow some nails and hook me up with belly rubs." She started laughing. "Hap told me he was going to steal Creed the other day." She shook her head. "I think I first saw that when I was pregnant with Kol and I kept telling Hap how I wanted to just lick it." She shrugged again.

"It's all about stimulation of the good kind." Bri nodded. "He can borrow Creed. No one really takes him. Dad had Javi and Monica for a bit. Creed was stuck with his crazy parents and little brothers but I think he enjoyed himself, especially all the cuddles I gave him. Sounds about right, since the tattoo was a birthday present to myself. I was old but I wanted to still be sexy as fuck, so why not get another tattoo?"

She shrugged once more. "That's because Creed doesn't tolerate many people, you're welcome for that. I have a serious problem over tattoos." She laughed a little. "Love them."

"Creed is obsessed with Javier though, they will just spend hours together laughing and having fun. He swears he's not one but actually the same age as Javi. He just says he's short for his age." Bri nodded and smirked. "I'm waiting for you to be like damn Brianna I like that my name is in the dreamcatcher and that it was inspired by me and my awesomeness."

Jacey gasped, flicking her thigh. "You have my name on you? Oh baby! That's so sweet! Oh my god, I need to cry." She laughed. "I love him so damn much. Like it hurts."

"Yes, yes I do." Bri chuckled. "No crying unless it's happy tears. You just don't love me enough to look at my body closely anymore!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "Javi is so patient with him, he just tries his best to understand all the babble."

The blonde shrugged. "I'm trying to keep my hands to myself. Don't pout, I love you and your body." She shook her head. "That's because my pretty little girl continued to buck the system and say ridic-whatever and anything else she couldn't pronounce." She laughed.

"Oh yeah, when you were ridiculous." Bri laughed. "Aw, I miss baby Cam. My best friend and cuddle buddy. I'm going to fall to the floor and cry over it all now."

Jacey scoffed. "Well maybe if you give her love like you used to, she wouldn't hide from you, babe." She shrugged. "My pretty little baby, love her more than air."

"It's hard to give her all the love when she seems to be over me. It's like you when you don't like me or are irritated with me and won't give me the time of day. You just look at me with annoyance in your eyes." Bri sighed. "I'm going to cry still."

The blonde laughed a little. "She is not annoyed with you, she doesn't look at you like she is either. She misses you, she tells me everyday. The other day, she told how she didn't like all the new babies in the family because they just steal you from her." She shrugged. "She cuddles up on the bump and just rubs my belly and tells me stories now."

"Mason and Noah are not new." Bri shook her head. "They're practically old men already." She chuckled. "I miss her. I'm going to have to leave the boys with Jax or dad when he's better and just steal Cam away for a weekend. Treat her to a spa day and sleepover because B.B and C.C need to reunite damn it J.J!"

Jacey furrowed her brow. "Did you just call me J.J? What's wrong with you?" She laughed a little before she stopped Bri's hand and moved it to the bottom of her belly. "Take her away for a little while. She's in need of the quality time with her B."

"What's not wrong with me would be the better question." Bri chuckled. "I will take her away for a bit. See if she won't be into checking out a apartment building I've been looking into investing in since I need to fill my free time with productive things. I value her opinions as much as I value yours. My sassy blonde beauties. This reminds me, someone called me a terrible mom because I only took the twins and Creed with me when I went grocery shopping. I wasn't aware it's terrible for me to leave Javi and Monica with their grandpa when I run errands. Can you believe that shit?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I can't judge you at all. I threaten Happy's life when he doesn't get me what I want… I'm crazy." She started laughing. "Fuck people, one is twelve. She doesn't need to go to the store with you. The other one hates grocery shopping."

"Plus, I need to make the boys enjoy shopping. Soon they'll be far too independent to want to tag along with me. Creed already wants to walk beside me and not sit in the cart. Jacey it's terrible really." Bri laughed. "It's amazing that she's old enough to stay home alone and watch Javier if she wanted to."

Jacey nodded her head slowly. "I tricked Kol Lowman into enjoying shopping with his love for food. Go on Saturdays, free samples are out plus I give him his snacks. He's a mama's boy, it doesn't really take much." She smiled.

"I just want to enjoy all the time I have of them being little babies." The brunette smiled. "The only child of mine that has a true love for food is Monica. That girl can eat. I think spending time with dad has rubbed off on her. I'll remember that though, maybe I'll be brave enough to wander into the story with all of my babies soon."

 **.**

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"I told Jacey." Bri spoke up as she entered the chapel, her grey eyes locked on Jax who was still sitting at the head of the table despite the room being completely empty. "She's happy for us. We bonded. I can now stress a little less over it all and really dive deep into wedding plans. I know how much you're going to love me crawling into bed with magazines and books."

Jax looked up at the brunette, a smile on his face as he pushed back away from the table slightly and gestured to his lap. "Is that so? She's happy for you? About you being engaged to her idiot of a brother?"

"Yup." She nodded slowly as she moved towards him, taking a seat on his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I am so happy about it. I really am Jax. I don't know why I waited so long. I should've told her right when it happened. I was being a headcase for nothing." She shook her head and sighed, placing a kiss to his forehead. "We just need to talk some important details and you need to get involved and make a list of guests you want there. Keep in mind that there will be a whole lot of Russians there. Like OG Family members from back home. I also want you to keep in mind that some of them had connections to Putlova and we know what happened between him and the Sons."

He nodded as he squeezed her hips. "I'm aware, I'll write out my guest list accordingly." He looked up at her and smirked. "Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble and there won't be a pile of dead bodies after our wedding. So just relax and enjoy planning it alright?" He chuckled. "I love you Brianna, please don't ever forget that babe. I want you to feel the love."

"Oh, I feel something." She laughed as she stood up. "You're such a horny teenage boy, boners just popping up at all the most serious times babe!"

Jax laughed as she stood up and grabbed the brunette by her waist and yanked her towards him. "I can't help it, it's not my fault I'm attracted to you. This is all your fault." He shook his head as he backed her up against the table. "Let's break the rules... I've always wanted to fuck in a chapel."

Bri nodded as she locked her fingers behind her fiances neck and smirked. "I'm all about breaking rules with you Jax." She let him lift her up onto the table, his hands working her skirt up. "I hear fucking in a chapel, even one like this is a true adrenaline rush." She smiled. "Let's make it happen."

He nodded as he started peppering kisses up and down her neck. "I'll give you what you want. I'm all about the fairy tale baby."


	58. Mending

**This chapter is full of Monica & Elijah. Her working through her feelings and him just over all just being frustrated with how stubborn Monica is. It's not going to be an easy road for Elijah & Monica but it does get somewhat better over time. **

**November 17, 2014**

"I'm gonna beat you up." Javier narrowed his eyes at Monica as she held a can of soda above her head. "I want some! Just a drink! Come on!"

Monica shrugged as she eyed her younger brother before slowly lowering her soda down and letting him take it from her hands. "You can have the rest of it. I'm not supposed to have a lot of soda anyways." She shook her head as she dropped back down to the beanbag and picked up her book. "How's your dad?"

He finished off the soda before moving to lay on top of his sister, his hands playing in her messy hair as he shrugged his shoulders. "He's good! He has a girlfriend. She's kinda annoying." He rolled his eyes as he rested his forehead against hers. "I don't like her too much but I guess he likes her a whole lot!"

She nodded as she looked up at him. "A girlfriend? Who is silly enough to go out with your goofball dad? Is she at least funny? Or is she just straight out annoying?" She chuckled. "I love you Javi."

"Yup! She's not funny, she had a weird nose! It always looks like she's sniffing the air." He scrunched up his face. "You look like mama from all those pictures grandpa has in his books. Is it true that you got more than one dad Monkey?"

She shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders. "I know I do. He tells me all the time that if I had grey eyes that I'd be her exact twin. I don't have more than one dad anymore. I had a different one when I was born. His name was Maksim but I guess he was so mean to mom so we left. He died though, so he's not around. I had another one when I was like a little younger than you but he's not around either. So I only have one dad, Happy. He's way more than enough. He's pretty awesome isn't he?"

"That's too many dads!" Javier covered his face as he shook his head. "I got one dad! Then Jax and I like Happy too. I like when Jax helps me with stuff. Did you see the volcano he helped me make? It was so cool! It exploded red lava all over the backyard Monica! It was like _kaboom_!" He made gestures with his arms. "So awesome."

Monica laughed and nodded. "I saw the volcano but I didn't get to see it go _kaboom_." She shook her head. "Your hair looks like Elijah's hair now. You look like you're about to put on a little suit and handle business just like him."

He nodded as he sat up, his hands running through his hair. "Um! I am a dashing gentleman, that's what mom said Monica." He flashed a her a goofy smile. "I could be a suit. I'll be a better one than Elijah. I'll be the best one ever! What about Elijah? Do you miss him?"

"I can see you being a suit just like grandpa." Monica furrowed her brow and nodded. "Of course I miss him Javier. That was my best friend. I don't have many other friends, so I miss him all of the time."

"He'll be back soon." Javier nodded as he wrapped his arms around Monica's neck and kissed her cheek. "He'll be back and you two will be friends again! Just like how mom and Aunt J do. They fight, they break up, then they hug it out and are friends again."

She shook her head. "I don't think we should exactly follow in their footsteps. It works for them but it probably won't work for us." She shrugged. "I'll take your advice though. I will try to hug it out with Elijah. Now, let's finish watching movies while we wait for mom to come back."

November 2014

Monica adjusted the legs of her shorts before pulling her hair from the ponytail it was in. She had just arrived home from practice and all she wanted to do now was shower and lay all over her mom who had hopefully handed Lumi back off to Elijah. She however was in no such luck, letting out an annoyed sigh at the sight of her mom on the floor, talking to Lumi while Mason and Noah looked on. "She's still here. I want you to cuddle me."

Bri looked up from her niece and over to her daughter before holding her arms out. "Come here. I got more than enough love and cuddles to go around baby girl. Frustrating practice? Who did what this time huh?"

She walked to her mom, plopping down beside her before laying her head on her lap. "I know you do. I just like being the only girl in the house besides you." She shrugged. "I got moved from flyer mom. They said I'm a bit too tall, now I'm a tumbler. I love it but it's so much more tricks and routine to learn. I just didn't pick it up quick enough and the coach told me to 'practice, practice, practice'."

"Well, you just need to stay confident and we'll up your gymnastics level baby." The brunette smiled down at her daughter. "I have faith in you Moni. You can kill it as a tumbler. You got the skills you just need to believe in yourself and your ability. You haven't been cheering that long and you're already in one of the highest ranked clubs in California."

The twelve year old opened her mouth to protest only to be interrupted by the sound of the doorbell chiming loudly. "I really hate that doorbell." She stood up and shook out her hair as she made the quick journey to the front door, pulling it open before gawking at the person on the other side of the screen door. "She's in the living room." She murmured before opening the screen door and taking a step back, turning on her heels, disappearing towards the stairs. "I'm going to lay down!" She shouted as she passed the living room. "Don't feel well anymore."

"Feel better, Monica." Elijah Nasonov nodded as his brown eyes stayed on the brunette until she disappeared on the second level. He moved into the living room and started smiling as he spotted his daughter. "Aurelia, come here."

"Hey Elijah." Bri smiled as she watched Lumi toddle towards her dad. "Ignore Monica. She had a bad practice."

The man smiled at Brianna as he lifted up his daughter. "How are you, Bri? How was your day with Aurelia?"

"I am lovely. The day was good. The twins are loving her." Bri nodded. "Then again they love anyone that gives them some attention."

Elijah chuckled a little, nodding as he sat down on the couch. "That's good, I'm glad to hear. How are all the kids?"

"I don't know where to start. They're all good in their own way. Monica is good, her medication is keeping her balanced out all though she still has very bad days from time to time. Javier is lovely. He's getting more intelligent. Creed is a little quiet one, he's in awe of Javier and just wants to follow him around all day. The twins are good as you can see. Super fat and happy."

He smiled and nodded his head. "That's very good to hear, I'm happy for you. As you can tell, she's doing very well… I mentioned seeing you and she wouldn't stop talking about you and how excited she was."

"I didn't think she'd remember me too well." Bri smiled. "I'm sorry about the cold welcome you got from your Menchies."

Elijah shrugged his shoulders. "She remembers you and Jacey pretty well. She's yet to see Jacey, as well. It's fine, I don't expect her to give me warm welcomes or any pleasantries."

"I'm better than Jacey anyways." Bri waved the man off. "She hates you. You broke her heart and she doesn't really understand why. No matter how much us adults try to explain it to her. She just sees it as you leaving her again without any type of explanation."

He shook his head. "I see, I understand. I'm not entirely sure what I can do about that since she apparently has her mind made up and refuses to listen. But that's understandable, I did kind of give up on our relationship."

"Because you're an asshole and loved chasing after Jacey and that tragic love story more than you loved me." Monica mumbled as she walked into the living room and picked her phone off the floor. "I forgot this when I was laying in here… Don't let me interrupt, I'm leaving."

Elijah nodded his head. "You're entitled to your opinion."

"'You're entitled to your opinion'." Monica scoffed as she looked back at the man. "Whatever you say Honorable Elijah."

He shook his head. "What would you like me to say, Monica? You know everything, you have all the answers so what is it I need to say to you right to make you feel even better about yourself and this entire situation?"

"Better about myself?" The twelve year old rolled her eyes. "You were everything to me Elijah. Then one day I just simply wasn't as important to you anymore. So, I do not need you to say anything to make me feel better about myself. I have enough going on with being bipolar. I am not looking for a damn thing from you."

Elijah stood up, nodding his head. "That is a lie, but you proceed to tell yourself whatever it is that can get you through this, Monica. You never became less important. I am sorry that I 'left' you, I'm sorry that you feel this way."

"You can say it's a lie but it feels like it's the truth." Monica shrugged. "Whatever. It's only a matter of time before you go chasing after Jacey and she throws her life away for some tragic bullshit love story you two keep trying to rekindle."

"Monica." Bri looked at her daughter. "Back down, go to your room. Practice your breathing exercises like your doctor showed you. Return to this conversation when you can be mature about it."

Elijah shook his head, adjusting his daughter on his side. "I think I'll be going now, should put myself on standby for your sister. Let me know if you need anything, Bri. Or if you just want to see Aurelia."

"Standby for Jacey." Monica rolled her eyes. "You were mine first. I hate you for being her suit and I hate grandpa for giving you away to her like I wasn't important enough." She growled at Elijah before stomping away. "I hate all you pointless suits!"

He nodded his head. "That's fine, Monica. I can arrange for you not to have to come into contact with the suits or Jacey. I'm sure this entire conversation will be interesting to explain to Jacey and her husband."

"I don't have a problem with Jacey. My problem is with you." Monica shrugged. "Jacey isn't the problem! You are! Aleksandr is! You left, Igor left, Frey left. Mom may not care but I sure as hell do. You three were my best friends and you all left me. Stop making it seem like I have a problem with Jacey because I have no problem with her. I love her."

Elijah nodded his head. "Lower your voice, Monica. Now." He passed his daughter to Bri and murmured to her in Russian. "No, your problem isn't with any of us. It's with anyone that doesn't take your side, doesn't give you what you want or are going to drop everything for you. You want Igor and Frey back, take them back. Tell them you miss them, tell them you're upset. No one can read your mind, Monica!" He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and shook his head. "I don't make it seem like you have a problem with Jacey, you do."

"I'm not asking for the world." She shook her head. "I'm asking for someone other than my mom to love me unconditionally. I'm not asking anyone to drop everything and cater to my every need. I'm also not going to take Igor and Frey back because then I'd get labelled as an even bigger brat. I haven't had a problem with Jacey since I was like seven. My problem is with you, Frey and Igor."

He nodded his head again. "Are you going to continue to argue with everything I say, Monica? That's all this is."

"Nope." She shook her head. "Nope." She backed away from him. "Not at all." She moved out of the living room and towards the stairs. "NOPE!"

"Memories." Brianna shook her head. "That's me all over again. However, the amped up arguing is all Max. She's a tiny tyrant. Give her ten years and she'll be running the show. Getting rid of all the suits."

Elijah shook his head. "Let's hope the world ends soon then… That's going to be real train wreck."

"No, no." Bri shook her head again. "Embrace the shitshow Elijah. You'll be retired by then anyways. You'll be chasing after Lumi while she chases after boys."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh no, I'll apparently be chasing after a tragic love story."

She laughed. "She's like me. She takes things to heart and blows it all out of proportion. I mean, she's my daughter of course I'm going to make an excuse for her behavior. Give her hate and attitude a reasoning. She's heartbroken. She's sad. She's obviously a bit confused over the whole situation but you have to understand something Elijah. You were an integral part of her life for time then it just stopped being a thing. Here's where the me part in her comes out, she's obviously got a jealous streak because come on, it wouldn't be dramatic enough if one of us wasn't jealous of Jacey. To her, you three picked Jacey and her family over her. Which to Monica is just the ultimate betrayal. Also, she's out to get your little friend Case killed because she just keeps calling him out on being your friend."

Elijah shook his head. "The way I'm seeing it right now is that Jacey and her kids are not family to Monica. Apparently neither is Happy." He shrugged. "I can't talk to her so take this to Aleksandr and Jacey. Jacey has a soft spot for Case and Aleksandr can attempt to get her to back down."

"Oh no, she's see them as family but like family doesn't take things from each other. Oh, Happy is family. In his defense, we shipped her to dad for an attitude adjustment because she was getting out of hand then we discovered she was bipolar and that's why her bad behavior was just amped the fuck up. You know what Igor and Frey meant to the girl Elijah. They were your fill ins. I can understand her sadness and frustration but I can also appreciate their devotion to Kol and Cam. I love that they have those men in their lives. It's a beautiful connection. I've been wanting to end the whole suits assigned to kids thing for years and you three just jumped ship and made it easier." Bri shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm not taking anything to dad or Jacey. Case is Jacey's little boyfriend. Monica won't back down. Have you not heard what I've said. That's her Mikhailova side coming through. I can't stop her lust for destruction."

Elijah shook his head. "I'm sorry we jumped ship. I think you need to take this to them both. Jacey knows the truth about Case and can figure something out before that club could try to do anything, thinking he's a rat."

"It's fine Elijah it's really fine. I'm sorry for icing you out." Bri nodded. "Fine, I'll take it to them both but I need you to know that Frey and Igor already wanted to ya know, end him."

He furrowed his brow. "Why? What happened? Why wasn't I told this sooner?"

"Because they got a weird vibe from him." She shrugged. "Anthony stepped in, settled the situation. What were you going to do if we reached out? That reminds me, how's my little baby Bash?"

Elijah shrugged his shoulders. "Fixed the situation. What weird vibe did they get from him?" He shook his head. "That kid is going to drive me insane, I almost brought him to the states."

"That he's a liar." Bri smiled. "Bring him to me the next time you go back. I need a cute little suit running around with my brood."

The man shook his head. "Liar about what, Brianna? Give me the entire story in seating, please. He won't be a suit, so don't even think about it."

"I don't know, they heard him on the phone. I guess he was speaking to you, they claimed he said 'goodbye Elijah' and when they called him on it, he said he was speaking to his brother whose name is Elijah but they poked holes in the story. Simple background check." Bri shrugged. "Then give me him and I'll make him like another one of my children. I can't get enough."

Elijah sighed. "Should've been brought to me… I'll talk to them. Leave it to me." He nodded his head. "As fun as that could be, no. He will stay where he is until he's at least eighteen."

"It was brought to Ant, he talked to them but you can talk to them again." Bri nodded. "Plot twist! You bring him here and him and Monica fall in love. Wouldn't that be so cute?"

The man nodded his head. "Anthony wouldn't have much to do with it, Brianna. He was brought in with Case to watch this family and the one next door when they moved."

"Anthony has shown nothing but dedication, hardwork and love for this family since he's been here. He's gained more respect and in result he's not just a glorified babysitter. He has some of his own suits beneath him." Bri shook her head. "If there are ever any problems again with Case, Igor and Frey. You will be the first to know since Case is yours."

Elijah furrowed his brow. "When did I say he didn't? When did I say he was anything less? If that's what you think, they're all glorified babysitters, then pull them from the posts and put them back in training."

"The last thing I'm doing it pulling suits from their posts." Bri waved the man off. "They're not all glorified babysitters. Lord knows I'm not leaving my children in the care o f psycho Roman, bless Yevgeny's little Russian heart but he's got a long way to come and don't even get me started on his brother Arseny or shit, like they aren't even qualified to be babysitters. On the other hand, I'm not trying to argue with you Elijah. I don't want to go back and forth with you. I'm trying out this new thing in life, where I don't turn everything small into a pointless argument. I will say this, we should've have let you know about the Case thing. Since he was yours. I'm sorry we didn't."

The man nodded slowly. "Igor is an amazing suit, he always puts his job first. You know that… You also know the same about Frey, it may take him a minute to get his focus off Kol, but he's become very great. I wish you hadn't brought Yevgeny up, Aurelia loves him." He shook his head. "She's told me so. I don't want to argue with you either, Bri, I don't want to be in any negative position with you or your family. But no matter what, nothing bad comes to Case… Not by our hands, he's Jacey's family so that makes him your family. You're aware, correct?"

"I know Igor is amazing. I grew up with him. He was right there along with my dad. I also know Frey's potential. I did save him from being killed by Abram." Bri sighed. "Am I ever getting Yevgeny back or did I lose him forever to baby Elijah there? Nothing bad comes to Case. He doesn't like me anyways, he finds me irritating. I'm aware. He's family. He's not to be touched at all."

The man shook his head. "Have him back, she's seemed to set her sights on Dmitri. She just doesn't know that Dmitri is here for when Jacey has her baby." He smiled. "From what I hear, Case enjoys being around you until you get crazy."

"Why didn't you bring my children back any suits, huh? You and Aleksandr are always playing favorites." Bri shrugged. "Case is an idiot. I don't even get crazy. He woke up my household talking about dead prospects like I was supposed to drop everything I had going on to head into the clubhouse. Then had the audacity to call me irritating."

Elijah shook his head slowly. "You weren't talking to me so I wasn't going to disturb you. Aleksandr made it seem like you didn't want any suits. What's going on with you and him?"

"You're supposed to disturb me, we're supposed to be best friends. Like honestly you've always been the one to call me on my shit and keep me in check." Bri shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't but I wouldn't have been upset by you coming home with five new suits in tow. Who me and my dad? Nothing that I know of. He pops up when I need him otherwise he's dating and slutting it up. He did however get shot back in October. I thought I was going to lose him Elijah. It was the most life shattering moment ever."

The man chuckled, nodding his head. "Yes, I know but we left things in a very bad place. I wanted you to have time to recollect. Why do you keep calling him Aleksandr then?" He took his daughter from the brunette. "I will go back and find you four suits. Something tells me your twin wants nothing to do with me or what I have to offer."

"But friends fight and what not." She shrugged. "I dunno, it just comes out that way sometimes. I dunno. Lately, weirdly. I've been thinking alot about Viktor." She shook her head. "Oh, she wants a suit. He just happens to be a Son… She tried to get Case away from Jacey and her family. Happy just told her no and to stop her shit because he's not a suit but she's more than welcome to have a prospect but she didn't want that. She wants Case because he reminds her of you."

Elijah sighed, looking down at the floor before he nodded. "How about you take her one more time for me? Take her to see her J or something…" He nodded again before leaving the room and going upstairs, straight to Monica's room, knocking on the door a few times. "Monica. I want to talk to you."

"Come in if you want." Monica answered, her eyes glued to her desk as she carefully examined the latest pictures she had developed. "Just, I don't know. Don't touch any of the pictures scattered around the place. I'm in my creative space right now."

He chuckled, nodding his head. "I thought you gave this up. We need to discuss your liking for Case."

"Nope." She shook her head as she divided the pictures on her desk into piles. "I love photography, I'm in a few programs. I just kinda retired some of the cameras you gave me. All but the one with my initials on it, even though I'm a Lowman now." She turned and looked at him. "You mean your little protege?"

Elijah nodded his head. "You should sell them, since you no longer use them. Or give them to Jacey, she uses all kinds of cameras for different shoots." He shook his head. "My protege?"

"No." Monica rolled her eyes. "I'm not giving them to Jacey and I'm not selling them either. Just because they're retired right now doesn't mean I won't use them later." She shrugged. "Case is you, just in a kutte instead of an Armani suit."

He nodded firmly. "I apologize for offering you the idea. I didn't think you cared for them, that's why you retired them. He's not me with a kutte."

"No, no. I love them but they just reminded me too much of you so when I'd use them, I just ended up taking really sad pictures." She pointed towards the wall. "All of the black and white photos. Yeah he is. You trained him, you picked him, you placed him with the Sons."

Elijah shook his head. "They're amazing, Monica. Oddly enough." He furrowed his brow as he slowly nodded. "I picked him and I trained him, but he was placed with Jacey and Camryn to keep a close eye on them while they were in Tacoma. I couldn't keep an eye on them like I promised, I needed to handle a ton of things. Plus I needed to fix our relationship, I picked and trained Anthony too. I just placed him with you guys because it just looked like a better fit."

"I guess so. They won a lot of small competitions." Monica nodded slowly. "Anthony is fun. He took me to ballet a few times until I quit it. Then he fell in love with Nik and now they're usually gone on trips and stuff."

The man nodded his head. "He's a good guy. So is Case. Case's under orders though, he cannot stray from Jacey and the kids. He keeps an eye on them since i'm not around… Did you know that I was going to give Anthony solely to you? He was going to be yours and only yours."

"Yeah but then Camryn stole him." Monica shrugged. "I'm like my mom, no one wants us because we're difficult but people stick around out of some twisted loyalty or pity."

Elijah chuckled. "Camryn stole him for a few days before she found herself back in Igor's arms. That's her favorite person. Igor, no matter how much they clash." He shook his head. "Everyone wants to be with you guys, you don't want to be with them though."

"She stole Igor too. He was supposed to come back, we were supposed to have our tea parties and movie nights but he just didn't come home when my mom did." Monica shrugged. "Because it's never who I want to be around. Like, it's not about pushing anyone away, it's just about wanting to be with someone you're comfortable being around. I tried hanging out with Yevgeny but we don't mesh well. He's just a whole lot of quiet but at the same time he's a sociopath."

The man nodded his head. "Then what would you like to do? How about you make your mom and dad take you to Russia and you throw a try-outs for suits? Bring back the ones you like… That sounds like something you and your mom would do together."

"No, that won't happen Elijah." Monica shook her head. "It's not going to happen. It's not about me anymore. It's all about the younger siblings. I'm fine with that though. I like having freedom to do pretty much whatever, now that I'm not living with Aleksandr anymore."

He shook his head. "Grandpa. He's your grandpa, Monica. Respect him."

"Grandpa." Monica shrugged. "Now that I'm not living with my grandpa."

Elijah rolled his eyes. "You can be such a little smartass sometimes, no I see why you were sent to live with him." He shook his head. "Quit giving your mom a hard time, Monica."

"I don't give her a hard time Elijah. I grew up." She shook her head. "I keep to myself when I'm in a mood and I talk to her if things get too bad. I babysit Javi and Creed sometimes when she goes grocery shopping."

Elijah nodded. "Good, I'm glad you help out. She needs your help sometimes."

"I know, I know." The brunette started taping pictures to her wall. "I help her anytime she needs it. I'm doing the best I can."

He nodded again. "And how are things with Happy?"

"Nonexistent." Monica shrugged. "Well, that's me being dramatic. When I see him it's good."

Elijah shook his head. "You're going to shove him away again and no amount of sorries will fix it, Monica. You know that."

"I'm not shoving him away Elijah. I see him every chance that I get to see him. Like I don't want to lose my dad." She shook her head. "Sometimes I just wasn't allowed to see him because I was too bad."

He nodded his head. "Why don't you try to stay with him for a few weeks? I'm sure your mom wouldn't mind, you just have to ask."

"I want to." Monica finally turned around to fully look at Elijah. "I know I can go spend a few weeks there. Mom has already suggested it. I just don't know what will trigger me over there and what won't. It's a bit of a fear type deal. I went from never really thinking about things to overthinking. It's ridiculous if you think about it."

Elijah shook his head slowly, looking at his watch briefly. "Never gonna know til you find out. He's there to help you and so is Jacey. You just have to let them help you."

"Don't let me keep you from whatever important business you have." Monica shrugged. "I know. I'll go over there in a week or so."

The man shook his head again. "No important business, Monica. I just checked the time because it's getting close to Aurelia's bed time. She's probably asleep with your mom right now." He nodded. "How about a day or so? Don't just push this off."

"I will talk to him before bed about going over tomorrow." She moved to her bed and sat down. "That's the plan."

He nodded his head. "Good, that sounds like an excellent plan. You need to spend time with him."

"I will." Monica burrowed under her blankets and looked at Elijah. "You don't have to worry. I will keep my word."

He nodded again. "You should get some sleep, I'll see you again soon."

"Goodnight Elijah." Monica nodded. "Love you."

He looked at the teen and smiled. "I love you too, Menchie." He leaned down, kissing her head. "Sleep well."

"I will." She smiled. "Be safe."


	59. Lazy Day

**November 27, 2014**

"It's Thanksgiving." Brianna grumbled as she wiped the sleep from her eyes as she moved through her clinic. She hated the fact that she had been woken up early, especially on a holiday to tend to an emergency at her clinic. "So, what happened again? What went on? Who did what and when?"

"I had stopped by because I had forgotten my wallet when I locked up yesterday and I found a baby Brianna." Jacklyn looked at the brunette as she stopped next to a sheriff. "A baby boy." She started as she pointed to the baby in the man's arms. "They needed me to call you. I'm sorry that I woke you up."

The brunette waved the blonde off as she took a step forward, looking at the boy before smiling. "Can I hold him?" She held out her arms and easily accepted the baby boy. "He's handsome. He doesn't look like he's more than a month old. It's a damn shame that someone's just tossed him away. I don't get that." She smiled down at the baby. "How long will it take to place him in a home? I know my sister and her soon to be husband are looking into adopting another baby. They would love him to pieces." She moved towards the back of the clinic. "I'm just going to give him an exam. Jacklyn, can you please get the social worker's information. I want to see if Nik and Ant would be interested in fostering him, maybe it'll turn into an adoption after a year."

"I will do that." She nodded. "They're still going to have to take him into custody though…"

"No." Bri shook her head as she looked at the officer. "My sister is licensed to foster. She has the room and the love to take him in until everything is sorted out. It's Thanksgiving. It's not like anything will happen today, or tomorrow. Can you talk to her, let her take him in even if it's for the weekend?"

"I guess we can do that." The officer nodded. "I would like nothing better than to end my shift and go home to my family."

She nodded. "Good. I will have her here within twenty minutes. She's going to gush over this little guy."

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Nik walked into the clinic, her eyes instantly falling on her older sister rocking a baby. "Bri…" She approached slowly and quietly, Anthony and Kajsa at her side. "Is this really happening again? Do you just find babies for us huh?"

Bri chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, it's happening again. Jacklyn found him just wrapped up and against the door. With a note that said ' _find me a forever home_ '." She stood up, passing the baby to Nik. "He's handsome isn't he? Don't you just love his little tan. He's got that going for him. He can be a little Anfy."

"My baby!" Kajsa reached out for the baby and huffed when her mom didn't hand him over. "Let me see my baby! Mommy! Mommy!"

"Just one minute _muneca_." Anthony kissed his daughter's head as he looked at the baby then up to Brianna. "Damn, abandoned on a holiday. That is cold." He shook his head. "Do I gotta talk to that cop over there?"

"Dunno how long he was out there." Bri shook her head. "But he's healthy from all the tests I was able to run on him. We gotta go through the formal process, make sure he was actually abandoned by his parents. Then we kinda go from there. It could take a while but I'm sure the courts will let you guys keep him. Unless you don't want to foster him for the time and until we get all the legal shit done with."

"We want to." Nik looked up from the baby and smiled. "Whether we end up getting to adopt him or not. I don't want him going into the system yet. They don't have to pay us. I just wanna know he's safe. Look at him Brianna."

"What's his name?" Anthony looked down at the smiling baby in Nik's arm and smiled. "He looks like a Roman. Rome." He nodded. "You heard her. I don't care how much it costs, how long it takes. We want him Brianna."

"Dunno his name." Bri shrugged her shoulders. "Roman works. I don't know when we'll know his name for sure." She shook her head as she smiled. "Make sure you guys go to mass on Sunday. Let the big man above know you're thankful and how much you want to love and provide for that little handsome thing right there."

"My baby." Kajsa giggled as she reached forward and rubbed the baby's face. "I name him Kaiser! It's like Kajsa!"

"Smart girl." Anthony kissed his daughter's forehead. "You go play with the toys, then when we get home. You can hold the baby."

"I'm gonna fight tooth and nail for this baby." Nik looked at her sister and nodded. "He's only leaving if I'm being hauled out in a bodybag."

"Calm down killer." Bri shook her head. "We'll lawyer you guys up. Now, relax and be at the house for dinner later. I love you Nik."

 **November 29, 2014**

"There are so many babies." Monica mumbled to Jax as he set her back to her feet. "No, no. I wanna be picked back up." She faked a pout before sitting down on the floor next to her youngest brothers Mason and Noah. "Hey fatties."

"Mons." Creed jumped into the brunette's lap, planting a wet kiss on her cheek. "Hiiiii!"

"The babies seem to love you." Jax chuckled as he watched the twins roll over. "They're trying to get to you."

She shrugged as she wrapped her arms around Creed and kissed his forehead before pushing his hair out his face. "I'm glad he finally realized that I'm not our mom. I think he finally has the demeanors down or something."

"You and your mom are one in the same." Jax chuckled. "Don't try to talk yourself into thinking that you're opposites because it's not true at all."

"Um hello, I have green eyes and she has grey eyes. I'm apparently on a path to becoming a tyrant and she denounced her path to tyranny." Monica smirked as she started to braid Creed's hair back. "We're going to have the same long boxer braids baby. I used to braid Javi Baby's hair until he went and cut it all off but at least I still got you and all of your hair."

"You're not going to be a tyrant." He shook his head as he watched the way Monica and Creed interacted, it was so much like the way Bri interacted with the toddler. "You're good with all of the kids, especially Javier and Creed. Don't you wanna hang out with your friends though Monica?"

She shrugged. "I didn't get invited to the mall with them so no I do not wanna hang out with my so called friends." She rolled her eyes as she finished braiding her brother's hair. "I was thinking about just going out into the garden and taking some before pictures, to compare to when all the flowers and stuff come in."

"Well, those aren't real friends. Try not to give them any more of your time." Jax smiled. "Where'd your mom go anyway? All she left me was a note that said she was going out."

"She went to go look at wedding things with Nik. She was sending me pictures earlier." She nodded. "Flowers and china."

"Have you seen her dress yet? She still won't let me see it or give me a hint about it?" He tugged on Monica's braids. "When'd you grow up though, I still remember us having tea parties in your room and you getting upset when I couldn't attend them."

"Yes, it's gorgeous. You'll love it don't worry it's not ridiculous or anything. It's perfect. It suits her and her personality." Monica shrugged. "Um, because you were my best friend. I just wanted tea parties and dance partners to be honest. I don't know, I grew up that one time Elijah left, then some more after the next time he left. I also learned that I just gotta let all the negative vibes go because apparently I'm just hurting myself and no one else which makes sense."

"It's true, you can't keep holding grudges and being negative because chances are it's not even affecting the other person." He nodded. "You just need to let it all go and focus on attracting positive things into your life."

"Shush, I do not need another therapy session." She shook her head as she stood up, keeping Creed attached to her. "We're gonna go make turkey sandwiches and fried stuffing balls. Nothing is better than Thanksgiving leftovers. Isn't that right Creed?"

"Right." He rested his head on her shoulder and yawned. "Turkey is so good."

"You're right." Monica nodded. "You want a sandwich Jax? Javi?"

"No thanks." Jax shook his head. "I'll take a beer though."

"Me too." The brunette smirked. "I need a beer, it's been a long day."

"You woke up an hour ago…" He rolled his eyes. "No beers until you're sixteen."

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"It won't be long." Jax shook his head as he carried Mason and Noah's carriers into the clubhouse, looking back at Creed, Javier and Monica who were laughing and chasing each other in a circle. "Come on, we're not playing in the rain today."

"Rain!" Creed shouted as he jumped into a puddle. "Rain!"

"Come on." Monica grabbed his hand. "We can jump in them on the way home. It'll be more water."

"My dad is here." Javi nodded as he pointed to a Harley. "That one is his Moni!"

The brunette nodded as she guided her brothers into the clubhouse. "There he is Javi. Go say hi or something. I gotta keep an eye on Creed and the twins." She nudged him towards where Juice was sitting. "It'll be fun."

"It won't take forever." Jax looked at Monica. "I just gotta make a couple of calls and handle some business. You think you can watch them for an hour?"

"I can." She nodded as she looked down at Mason and Noah. "Don't worry about it. I can do it. Go handle your club business."

He nodded before kissing her head. "You're such a Brianna."

"This is terrible." Monica shook her head as she looked around the clubhouse, her nose wrinkling up in disgust at the smell. "I don't like the clubhouse, do you Creed?"

"Yes." Creed nodded as he smiled up at his sister. "I like it!"

"I can see you being like your dad." She nodded as she lifted the carseats onto the coffee table one at a time. "I wish they could walk already. They gotta grow up a little bit more huh?"

"Yeah." He smiled as he poked at Noah's head. "He looks so mad."

Monica lifted Noah out of his seat and settled onto the sofa. "I dunno, I think he's only mad because Mase is still sleeping and not up too. He's gonna be a troublemaker, I can see it. We're gonna hear mom yell at them all the time."

"Where's your mom?" Juice dropped down on the sofa next to Monica and smiled at her as he settled Javier on his lap. "I'm surprised she let all of you come here without her."

"She's busy with Nik." She shrugged as she looked at Juice. "She know we're here though. She trusts Jax with all of us."

"It's been awhile, how's your laptop been treating you?" He inquired as he poked at her face. "What, no smile for me? We were close too."

"It's still good. I did get a new one recently, I gotta spend a day and transfer everything to the new laptop but I don't have the time. I've been taking nonstop pictures. I'm building my portfolio this summer."

"I can do it for you, the next time I pick up Javier, you can just give it to me and I'll have it back to you." He smiled. "You can trust me, I'm still a big geek."

Monica looked at him and furrowed her brow, nodding her head slowly as she took in the tired look on the man's face. "You should tell my mom what's wrong. She'll still help you Juice. You know that. She'll always help you even when she's threatening to beat you up."

"Mom won't beat him up." Javier shook his head as he wagged his finger at the brunette. "She's not a meanie!"

"It was a figure of speech." She shook her head. "I know mom won't beat him up. She's not mean to people she loves." She smiled. "You two have fun. I'm gonna walk around the clubhouse with the boys. Show Noah and Mason all that can be theirs if they choose to be Sons when they're older."

"Me." Creed nodded. "Son!"

"It's a given. You're the future president of this place C." Monica smirked as she lifted Mason out of his seat, balancing both boys in her arms. "I hope you two don't become Sons. We have more than enough of those in our lives already."

* * *

 **AN: just a light cute chapter to combat the last two heavy chapters! thank you all for the continued support and I really hope I can continue to update this like crazy! as always if you have any questions, feel free to pm me or send me a question over on my tumblr fairytellerxo**


	60. Lovey

**December 1, 2014**

Brianna Hohrykova crossed and uncrossed her legs as she tried her best to get comfortable in the wooden chair of the courthouse. When she had started planning the wedding, she had blanked on the fact that a marriage license was needed. As her grey eyes settled on the man beside her, she felt the butterflies flutter around her stomach. "Jackson."

"Brianna." Jax squeezed the brunette's hand and smiled as he turned to look back at her. "What's on your mind babe?"

"What's keeping us from just saying fuck it and having a marriage at the courthouse?" She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "It'd save time and money. I'd be a Teller either way."

"The fact that you've been dreaming about a wedding since forever." He shook his head. "We're getting all the paperwork done. We're not having a courthouse wedding. We're having the wedding of your dreams Bri. Nothing else, nothing less. Go above and beyond. No budget." He kissed her lips and smiled. "Whatever you want."

"Good point." She chuckled softly as she pulled back to look at him carefully. "I'm gonna be your wife. You sure you want to marry me and my crazy ass family? There's no going back on it once we pull the trigger."

He nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that I want to marry you and your crazy ass family." He shrugged. "You met my family. You know my family is crazy, was crazy. You're marrying me and the club pretty much. So are you sure you want that in your life?"

"I give your club shit solely because sometimes you guys just make some horrid decisions fueled by emotion and less by common sense." Bri shook her head. "But yes, I'm sure I want to marry you and that club of yours babe."

"I never hear you give my club shit." He cocked an eyebrow at her as he pulled her onto his lap. "Let me hear some of this shit talk about my club."

"That's because I usually say it all in Russian or I just say it in my head." She kissed him and smirked. "Jax, I just told you. My problem with the club is that sometimes you guys just don't think and take a step back before you react to a problem. Like, I know you guys sometimes have the mindset of 'we're the Sons, how dare you come at us' and then you just retaliate and it snowballs from there. Then you guys make bullshit truces that never hold. I think you being the president, you have to keep your head better. Sometimes it's better to cut ties than to continue to try to salvage a relationship with your rivals."

"I didn't know you paid that much attention to the club." He shook his head as he squeezed her waist. "Good to know though."

"I do." Bri nodded as she ran her hands through Jax's hair. "Been around it long enough to observe. I have faith you'll turn it all around though. I really do."

"Next subject." He shook his head, not wanting to hear her thoughts on his club anymore. "Don't wanna talk about it anymore."

"Fine." She shrugged. "I have to take Creed to the pediatric cardiologist. They still wanna observe his little heart. Make sure he's good."

He nodded. "He's gonna be good. He's gonna have it but it'll be like me. Barely even there." He shook his head. "I'll go with you guys. It's called the Teller flaw."

"I'll remember that." Bri nodded as she stood up at her name being called. "This is it Jax. Come on."

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"Holy shit." Jax shook his head as he pulled his bike into the driveway, reaching back to squeeze Brianna's thigh. There was a line of suits standing in front of the house, looking as if they were simply waiting for someone to give them orders. "You call in the calvary babe?"

"Nope." Bri shook her head as she slid off the Dyna and placed her helmet on the seat. "I did not ask for any suits… These are like the OG suits Jax. Like they've been around pretty much as long as my dad has. The ones in the blue though, those are the newbies. You know Yevgeny already. I guess we're gonna find out what's up."

"Usually when all the Sons come to town it's because someone died." He grabbed Bri's hand and sighed. "Hopefully they're in town to just visit you. You're like what? The Princess or some shit to them?"

The brunette scoffed. "The _princess_? Jax I'm afraid you're gonna need to start paying more attention to the way I interact. I'm the _Queen_. I'm the boss. I'm the president. I'm just in charge but I let my dad handle everything because it's easier and I trust him fully to handle what needs to be handled while I continue about my life. We're about to hear a whole lot of _Katarzyna_." She chuckled as she yanked on Jax's arm. "Hello Katarzyna. What are you doing Katarzyna?"

Jax laughed as he pulled her to him by her waist. "Do I need to go inside, let you have your session alone?"

"Nooo." She shook her head. "I'm not mean like you. You can be a part of my _church_."

"I am not mean." He shook his head as he pushed her away from him playfully. "The Sons aren't as progressive as you. It's a boys' club."

"There aren't any female suits." Bri pushed him back and smiled. "If you keep your shit up, the tall one is gonna come pull your hair babe."

"I'm not afraid of them. I was afraid of your dad the first time he blew into town though." He smirked at her as they came to a stop in front of the suits. "Your dad is a bit scary. Them not so much."

"Katarzyna." The tallest suit spoke, taking a step towards the brunette. "We are here to see Monica."

"Monica?" Bri chuckled. "Um, she's not here right now. She's actually at her dad's place. I can go get her for you but what exactly do you need her for. She's twelve…"

"Her dad is dead." The man shook his head. "He's buried back home in Russia. Or have you forgotten that it's your home?"

"Whoa." The brunette closed the space between herself and the man, wrapping her arms around him. "Alexei, you just need a hug today huh? Do I need to reiterate. Her _father_ is dead. Her dad is alive and well. She was adopted. Well, it's a long story. I'm sure my dad will clue you into it."

"I do not like you right now." He shook his head as he hugged her back. "We just want to see Monica. I'm sure you should know what this is regarding."

"Did Elijah send you all here?" Bri laughed and shook her head. "That's too cute."

"Yes." He nodded. "We're here so she can pick a suit. So, you can pick some suits as well."

"What happens if she decides she wants to pick every last one of you?" Bri shook her head as she pulled Jax to her. "This is Jax, he's my soon to be husband. Jax, these are the guys, I guess they've been summoned by Elijah to be paraded in front of Monica so she can pick herself out a suitable suit… Ha. Suitable."

"I promise you that she's not drunk. She's just a bit high on life right now." Jax shook his head. "It's nice to meet you though. I never knew there were so many of you just able to show up here at any given time."

"So, you run an organization called the Sons of Anarchy?" Alexei eyed Jax carefully. "We've encountered them a few times in Belfast over the years. Little shitheads they are. Can't trust the Irish at all."

"I am the president of the founding charter." Jax nodded his head. "I wasn't aware that you guys had encountered the Sons before Bri stumbled into the clubhouse a few years back."

"All of the time." He nodded. "Conflicting business. Guns." He shrugged his broad shoulders as he watched Bri walk up the driveway with Monica. "We keep it all peaceful though. We're not about blood shed, it's a slow and steady race to the finish."

"We'll have to talk more about the gun business." Jax smiled. "Been trying to pull away from the Irish pipeline."

"We'll be in touch then." The man smiled. "Monica! Bring it in for a hug!"

Monica nodded as she moved to the man and wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "What are you doing here? Is Elijah in trouble!? Is my grandpa in trouble? What did my mom do now?"

Alexei laughed and shook his head. "We're here, for you. We're fighting for the opportunity to become your suit. Elijah said you wanted one, so he brought in all the best ones plus a few wildcards."

"I want you, Gregor and Nikolaj." Monica smiled without even looking over the rest of the suits. "You three are as good as my grandpa, Elijah and Igor. I want the three of you!"

"Lord, help us all." Bri shook her head. "You should see how they act when the six of them are all together Jax. It's insane."

Jax nodded as he pulled the brunette towards the open garage before hitting the button to slowly close the door behind them. "Brianna…"

"Jackson." She looked at him and shook her head. "What am I getting in trouble for now babe?"

He shook his head. "I didn't know that your family had crossed paths with the Sons before. In Belfast."

"Neither did I." Bri scrunched up her face. "Honest, Jax. I had no idea."

"I know." He noddd slowly. "I also just wanted to get you alone." He smirked at her as he pulled her towards him. "Who's on babysitting duty in the house?"

"Nik and Ant." She smirked. "I dunno why you're so horny all the time but I can appreciate it thoroughly. Especially knowing that we won't be surprised with anymore pregnancies."

"Your fault." He mumbled. "It's always your fault."

"Dad!" Creed shouted as he ran into the garage. "Hi dad!"

"Cockblock." Bri laughed. "Look at how happy he is to see you Jax."

"Hey kid." Jax lifted him up and smiled. "Who put all these flowers in your hair man? Did Kajsa get ahold of you?"

"K!" He nodded eagerly as he touched his hair. "I got flowers from K."

"I figured as much. They look good on you." He chuckled. "Take me to your brothers. I can only imagine what your cousin has done to their hair."

 **December 8, 2014**

"I need you to know that I think you're so stupid." Bri laughed as she looked across the table at Jax as he stuffed his face with a cupcake. "That's your sixth cupcake. You're supposed to try small bites, not the whole thing."

Jax shrugged. "The cupcakes are good babe. I can't believe you made all of these. Should I worry about your lack of sleep? I've never seen you with bags under your eyes before. You look like you just need to sleep for a week."

"Babe." She yawned as she pushed a cup of milk towards Jax. "I don't even know why I haven't been sleeping. It's just weird, go to sleep late wake up five hours later. Last night I didn't even sleep. I was up baking like I was stupid. Cupcakes, cake, cookies, bread, cinnamon rolls, pies. It's terrible. I can feel the bags babe."

"Relax on the wedding plans maybe?" He drank the milk and shrugged. "I think you just need to take a little vacation. Invite Jacey and Nik."

"I am not stressing about wedding plans. I am planning or trying to plan a Christmas thing because you know how much I love Christmas." She sighed as she picked up a cookie. "I love that suggestion. I need a vacation but like to Russia. I need some snow Jax! Lots of pretty white fluffy snow that I can roll around in."

"Stop it." He shook his head. "I'm sure whatever you do plan will be amazing and it'll be so much fun and we'll all love it. Stop worrying yourself to death. You're too pretty for all that shit Brianna."

"At least I already got the Christmas tree up and decorated. If only your little Creed would stop trying to scale it like he's a squirrel." Bri chuckled and shook her head. "I caught him twice already and when I don't catch him red handed, I know he's been climbing up it because all of the ornaments are on the floor or they've magically wound up with the twins."

"Already trying to blame the twins." Jax chuckled. "It's perfect. I'll tell him no more tree climbing though. I can't wait to see what he does when you put out all of the presents. It's going to be hell."

"Good because I don't wanna have to spank his little behind." She smiled. "You clean all of this up. I'm going to curl up in bed and die for a few hours babe." She kissed his forehead and shrugged. "Wake me up when the twins start crying, I fed them a little while ago but they'll need more soon."

He shook his head. "I have to go into the clubhouse. I'm sorry babe." He stood up and stretched. "I'll be home soon though, then you can sleep your life away if you want to."

Bri nodded slowly. "Ok, for sure. Be safe Jax."

"I'm serious. An hour. I'll take Creed and Javier." Jax smiled. "I will make sure to be home on time. Love you."


	61. Domestic

**December 14, 2014**

"My daughter is moved out." Bri grumbled as she wrapped her arms around her dad and shook her head. "She's moved out and into her dad's later and I'm torn up over it. I know I was ok with her living with you but like I dunno, I'm gonna miss her so much. Even though she's just next door to me. Daaaaad!"

"Briaaaaannnnaaa!" Aleksandr smirked down at the brunette before picking her up. "If you're going to whine like a child, I'm going to treat you as one. Do I need to remind you about the belt kid? Do I need to bring it out and smack you with it?"

"No." She poked out her bottom lip and shook her head. "Dad, put me down. I'm too old to be picked up by my dad. Even if I like it a little bit." She flashed a brief smile as she was set back onto her feet. "Dad, I really love youuuu. Can I have some more hugs. Also. your granddaughter brought in three big guns for her suits. Alexei, Gregor and Nikolaj. I don't know how you feel about it but it's a thing."

"The heavy hitters." He shook his head. "I'm fine with them being in the states, however I am worried a bit. I'll be honest. The last thing we need is those three planting ideas in Monica's head about taking over and being head of a family because help us all if she follows in her dad's footsteps. He wasn't the most benevolent leader. He also made Viktor seem like a teddy bear and that's saying alot since your Viktor forced you into marrying Max to begin with."

She shrugged her shoulders as she started to fix her father's tie. "I don't think anyone has that type of influence over Monica. She's going to do what she pleases to and the last thing on her mind is going to be trying to wrangle a bunch of grown men into doing what she wants them to do. I think she's more focused on picking out who she likes more right now. Hunter or Nicholas."

"Speaking of wrangling men, how are Jax and Happy doing?" He swatted at her hands. "I don't need you to fix my tie. I also hope she picks Hunter and not Nicholas. I like Hunter quite a bit. He's grown on me already."

"Jax is good. He wants me to mind my own business and not worry about what his club is doing but that's stupid because what him and his club does affects my children and I hope he stops being stupid as fuck about shit. Also, I don't know how Happy is doing. I'm going to assume good because Jacey and the babies are happy. You know I only talk to Happy if it directly involves Monica other than that I don't socialize with him. We've pretty much gone our separate ways." Bri nodded. "I like Hunter more but I think she'll go for Nicholas, he's a little older and he has that idiotic bad boy thing going for him."

"You're _absolutely_ ridiculous." Aleksandr pulled on the brunette's hair and shook his head. "I don't know what your problem is with Happy but you should fix it for the sake of Monica and Jacey both. You can't hate your sister's husband and you can't hate your daughter's father."

"Never said hate." She rolled her eyes as she freed her hair from her dad's large hands as she heard the front door open. "Jax must be home now."

"Ridiculous nonetheless. Get your shit together Brianna." He pinched her arm. "I mean it, get it together young blood."

" _Young blood._ " Brianna smirked as she watched Jax walk into the house, stripping out of his clothes. "Toss it all in the washer or the hamper. I'll clean it all up."

"Hey Aleksandr." Jax moved into the living room and smiled at the brunette and her father. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you two."

"No, no. You're not interrupting anything but me giving Brianna shit about her ridiculous behavior towards Happy." Aleksandr smiled at Jax. "Tough day at work?"

"You can say that." Jax nodded as he kissed Bri's cheek. "None of it's mine."

"Good." Bri smiled at him before pulling on the front of his shirt. "Trash this babe. That is not coming out. I told you to try wearing darker colored shirts. Easier to clean."

"I think you need to stop babying the man." Aleksandr shook his head. "He's capable of washing his own clothes and if not now is a great time to teach him how to separate whites from colors."

"He doesn't. His mom did his laundry and he just seems to have an endless supply of white shirts, flannels and jeans." She shrugged. "Monica was showing him the ropes."

"Ok, I know the basics." Jax shook his head. "Also, I'm standing right _here._ "

"Sorry." The brunette shook her head. "You're so silent."

He rolled his eyes. "You need to be nice to me. I'm gonna hop in the shower. Love you."

"Love you too." Bri smiled. "There's wedding things on the bed. Take a look when you can."

"How's the wedding going?" Aleksandr glanced down at his daughter. "Still set on winter wonderland?"

"Not really. It's not logistically plausible. I can hear the fucking complaints about cold weather and snow." She rolled her eyes. "I also have to think about Nik and she picked a short dress… It's going to be a fucking clusterfuck."

"What? Putting everyone before yourself? Haven't you done that enough? Aren't you tired of doing that shit? Brianna this is about you and what you want. Not about anyone else. It's your day. It doesn't have to be a double wedding. You can do a private, small ceremony at your cabin. Stop sacrificing yourself. Do this for yourself. Be selfish." He pulled her into a tight hug. "Do you hear me my love?"

"I think that's the first time I've been given the okay to be selfish." She wiped at her face. "I'll try but I can't make any promises."

"As long as you try." He smiled. "Don't cry. It's not good."

"Love you." Bri wrapped her arms around her dad and smiled. "Now, go find your grandchildren while I go love on my soon to be husband. He needs some hugs and love." She moved out of the living room and up the stairs, moving into the master suite and towards the sound of the shower. "Jackson."

"Brianna." Jax replied as he stuck his head out of the shower and smiled at the brunette. "You come to join me or give me shit about my lack of domestic skills?"

"Joining." She smiled as she pulled her dress over her head and rid herself of her panties. "I'm sorry. You know it was all fun and games. I love you no matter what." She stepped into the shower and under the water before moving away. "Ok satan… Why the fuck do you need water that hot?"

"To get clean." He chuckled as he adjusted the water's temperature and pulled the brunette back under it. "There, have your lukewarm water babe."

"I know you're getting clean but look at you, you're turning red like a lobster my love." She kissed his chest and smiled. "I was thinking of heading to the salon next week, take my hair back to it's lovely natural brown. So, I look less evil queen again."

"You'll look like an evil queen regardless, it's the way you present yourself babe." He shrugged his shoulders before tapping on her cheekbones. "You have a resting bitch face… Do not hit me! Monica told me. I didn't even know what that was until she explained it to me."

"I know." She shrugged and pinched his sides. "I can't help it. I used to smile all of the time when I was younger and then got older and more miserable and the bitch face just happened and stuck with me."

"I love your face." He smirked at her as he squeezed her waist. "Let's talk about something serious though. I've been noticing it a whole lot lately in your behavior and the way you're carrying yourself."

"Oh lord, am I getting fat?" The brunette looked down at her body and frowned. "You'd tell me if I was right?"

"No, you're not getting fat." He shook his head. "It's not something negative. It's positive babe. You've been getting more and more confident. I'm loving it so much. I really am loving it a whole lot Brianna. You've come a long way in the last year."

Bri nodded and smiled. "Oh, the confidence thing. Yeah, I've been working on myself. I've wanted to find myself again now that I'm not a surgeon anymore. Like that had been my passion and goal since I was a freshmen and high school, now it's legally taken away. It just sucks that I'm not allowed to practice medicine in California anymore because of my last name and family essentially. I think it's absurd that you can't be tied to criminals… It's not like I'd endanger any patients."

"I think it's stupid too." Jax hugged the brunette tightly. "I know you'll find a new passion and you'll be happy with what you find. This time around you can take all the time in the world to figure it all out. I'll support you and what you choose. I love you."

"I love you too." She turned off the water and sighed. "Come on, let's towel off and I'll cuddle you to sleep. I just need a nap and cuddles while my dad is watching the kids. We need to take advantage of this."

He nodded eagerly and smirked. "I agree, we do need to take advantage…" He backed her into the corner of the shower and rested his hands on her hips. "The cuddles and nap can wait. I think we can have some shower fun first." He turned the water back on. "It's your favorite…"

"It is." Brianna chuckled. "Let's fuck in the shower, it's been awhile." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "Just don't slip on soap this time… I don't want a bruised ass again."

 **December 19, 2014**

"Dad!" Creed Teller jumped from the coffee table and onto his dad as soon as the man was sitting on the large microfiber sofa in the family room. "Hi dad! Hi!"

Jax chuckled as he hugged his son. "Hey Creed, what're you doing?"

"Jumping." He giggled as he climbed all over his dad and stopped when he saw his mom walk into the room. "Hi!"

"He got into an energy drink… Don't ask me how. It just happened." Bri shook her head as she passed Jax a beer and smiled. "How was church and stuff?"

"It was good." He nodded as he reached forward and stopped Creed from smashing his head on the coffee table. "Buddy, you're going to have to calm down before you hurt yourself. Do you want a messed up face?"

Creed stared at him and shrugged. "No." He shook his head as he climbed onto the coffee table and jumped back onto his parents. "Hi!"

"Baby boy." Bri grabbed her son and kissed his face. "How's my handsome man?"

"I'm good!" He wiggled out of her arms and climbed off the sofa. "'Avi! 'Avi!" He ran to his older brother and jumped on him and laughed when they both fell to the floor. "Hiiii! 'Avi!"

Javier shook his head as he looked up at his younger brother and smiled. "Hi!"

"He got a hold of your sister's friend's energy drink." She smiled. "He's also forgotten how to say Javi. It's terrible, I'm waiting for the crash to happen."

"You mean Hunter? Monica's icky _boyfriend_." Javier shook his head. "All they do is play video game and sometimes kiss!"

"Kiss!?" Jax shook his head and groaned. "That's too young. Brianna…"

Bri shrugged. "I don't know what he's talking about babe…" She held up her hands and smirked. "You'd have to go straight to the source for that one because I don't know."

"I am." He stood up and passed his beer to his girlfriend. "I'm going to find her. She's too young. No kissing boys yet!"

"Stop your shit Jackson." She grabbed his hand. "No one is up in arms when Javi and Cam kiss or when Kol and Kajsa try to kiss." She shook her head.

"That's because Cam and Kajsa can't get pregnant right now!" He shook his head. "I'm going to send Hunter away. I don't like him. Kissing Monica! She's my daughter, I don't remember him asking permission to talk to her!"

"Bullshit." Bri shook her head. "Don't upset her either because if she goes back to her dad's crying then he'll be over here in less than thirty seconds with his Kimber drawn."

Jax shrugged as he moved out of the family room and towards the media room, entering slowly before clearing his throat. "Monica…"

"What?" Monica tilted her head back to look at the man. "Hunter already left if that's why you're here."

"I didn't see him leave." He shook his head. "What way did he go out?"

The brunette shrugged. "He went out the side door in the kitchen. It's not big deal. His mom was waiting for him out front anyways." She turned her attention back onto the TV. "Why do you care about me hanging out with Hunter, huh?"

"Your brother ratted you out, told us you and Huner were kissing." Jax sat down on the bean bag chair and shook his head again. "I think you're too young."

"Oh. My. God. We are not having this talk Jax." Monica scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We kissed like six times and it wasn't like we're in here making out! Plus, he told me he's no longer interested and that he's talking to someone new. So there you go. You don't have to worry. You can just go back to doing what you were doing."

"So he kissed you then left?" He shook his head. "That sucks, I'm sorry."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and waved him off. "It won't last long. Don't worry, like I said."

"Do you wanna talk about it? I can be a good listener." Jax smiled at her. "You're so much like your mom it's insane."

Monica shook her head. "I don't want to talk about anything right now. I'm trying to watch TV. I'm in a really shitty mood and I don't want to talk about anything or anyone." She sighed. "Just forget it. I'm going back to my dad's for some peace and quiet."

"Okay, I'm leaving you alone." He stood up and nodded. "I'm here if you need to talk. I know I'm not your dad but still." He moved out of the media room and towards the family room, his blue eyes falling onto Bri who was now cuddled with all four of her sons. "Bri…"

"You're not gonna fit on here with us so don't even try it Jax." Bri looked at him and shook her head. "Your baby girl give you hell? Is that why you're looking so sad baby?"

"She's in a mood, doesn't wanna talk. Hunter left and I guess he told her he's talking to someone else but she thinks he'll come back." Jax sighed as he dropped onto the floor beside the sofa and rested his head back against it. "I don't want her to think like that."

"Relax and don't stress over it. She's twelve, she's going to move on in a week's time." Bri trailed her fingers through his hair. "I love you for caring about her so much but you kinda have to let her cycle through her mood so she comes out the other side better. It's tough to stand by and watch but we can only intervene if it's absolutely necessary. So let's get your mind off of shit. Who is the club beefing with this week?"

"I don't think we're beefing. We might be getting a visit from the Irish in the new year." He shrugged his shoulders. "They're still against us moving away from guns but I'm trying my hardest to get us on a legal front and it seems like the world is just against an outlaw MC trying to go clean."

"Outlaws are outlaws. You just have to know which front to present to the world. You think everything my dad and the suits do is clean and straight? It's not. They've just perfected something you guys haven't. They don't let their dirty deeds find light. They are suited up for a reason, when they go places, they look like regular businessmen getting ready to handle legal business. It's when the doors are closed that they do what they do." Bri shrugged. "It's about how you package the product my love. You guys just so happened to be outright and open about your illegal activities, have been arrested multiple times, so everyone just knows that you guys are just the bad guys no matter what good you're trying to do for Charming."

He tilted his head back to look at the brunette before he smirked. "You're telling me that your little suits have this outlaw shit all figured out? Should I put on a suit and start driving an expensive sports car too?"

"You're making a joke but it's true. None of the suits have _ever_ been arrested for any illegal activity. My family has made it's name by being the largest crime family in Russia and we're on the top of the list in the States as these fucking little feds are trying to build a case against us." She shook her head. "Yeah, they may wear Armani and drive expensive ass cars but those men are bad ass criminals that made calculating moves. They think before they act. They don't let emotions and impulses control their moves. They sit, they think, they take the time to see what they need to do. That's what you lack these days. You're not using your fucking mind when you're going out and making decisions. You're reacting. You're better than that shit."

Jax nodded slowly, knowing the brunette was right. _Once again_. He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back. I'm going to head to the clubhouse. I got some thinking to do. I'll be back later tonight. Enjoy the cuddles from the boys. I love you."

* * *

 **It's been awhile but I'm back with an update finally. I will give you a heads up, starting next week this story will be updated once a week on Thursdays and if I write more than one update. It'll be updated Thursdays and Mondays but I'm not sure about the Monday thing but Thursday is set in stone from here on out. So I hoped you enjoyed. I really can't wait for the Irish to come to town. it's going to be nothing but fireworks when they arrive.  
**


	62. Two Christmases

**December 21, 2014**

"This is my newest strip club," Nikola stated as she stopped in the center of the large room. "There are currently twenty young women working here and the girls are top notch. Only the best will do for me and my brand."

"Is this the club we'd be investing in?" Jax looked around the room before looking at Opie. "When did this one open and how are the profits?"

The blonde nodded. "This would be the one that you would be investing in and you'd be partners here. You'd have a say in operations. I however will not fold on certain aspects. I don't want drugs, I don't want your little pornstar girls coming in to work the poles. This is a legit business. The girls were interviewed and handpicked to meet the standards I've set forth in my business model. Don't try to argue with me or play me either. I'm not an idiot… I do check on my shit to make sure it stays clean and legal. If you fuck with my business, you're fucking with my children's future and that's something I won't tolerate."

"Alright. I get it." He nodded. "No outside girls, no illegal activity, no drugs, no pornstars. Follow the rules and we're going to be good."

"Good." She smiled at the man as she patted his cheek. "I want you to know that you need to come to me if you do have any troubles with any of the girls and we can talk about a solution to the problem. If you can, just make sure your guys wrap their shit up if they fuck the talent. I do not need an STI breakout around here."

"The club isn't riddled with STIs." Jax shook his head as he looked at the blonde. "You take business way more serious than your sister does."

"Because at the end of the day my sister can fall back on a fortune she received from the death of her first husband. If she blows through that, she has a hefty trustfund and if all else fails she's got looks and wit. She'll be able to build something for herself. I barely made it through high school, I'm not in Brianna's position. I have to take this all seriously and I don't like having my time and money wasted. If you're serious about this, we can move forward and I can give you a business plan to look over and you can go over it with the club. If you aren't serious, you can just tell me now and I'll move to Alex who's expressed interest in investing and being a partner in this club."

He nodded slowly as the lights started to dim before a light show started. "What's going on now?"

"Some of the girls take this seriously." Nik pointed to the stage and smiled. "Those girls are imported from Russia. They take pole dancing seriously."

"Of course, more Russians." Jax smirked. "I guess that's cool. I'm serious about this, so I'd love that copy of the business plan so I can read it over and bring it to my whole table. I know they won't decline it. They're all about pussy."

"Alright." She nodded. "Remember this is a business relationship, don't ever mistake it for our personal relationship… Here we're going to be partners, outside we're family."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"You should know that I think you're sister is a bit intense." Jax shrugged out of his kutte, his blue hues on Bri's bare back as she sat in front of her vanity. "What are you even wearing right now babe?"

Bri stood up and looked at the man. "I was trying on this wedding dress. Seeing about another option. I don't like it for a wedding but I love it for like a gala."

"I love it." He moved towards her and rested his hands on her hips. "You look amazing babe."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I told you she's serious about her business. Don't fuck with it and you'll reap the rewards… I think that's a saying."

"It's not." He chuckled as he walked around her and shrugged. "I like the conservative front and the back thing you have going on. You need my face on your back though Brianna. I think that could be an amazing tattoo cover up for you."

"I am not getting your face tattooed on my back. You're a damn fool." She shook her head. "I think having your name tattooed on me is more than enough my love."

He grabbed her hand and kissed his name before smiling. "I can deal with that. It'll do until you get Teller tattooed on your ass baby." He smacked her ass and smirked. "Where's your head at as far as wedding things?"

"Don't bring up wedding things." She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I think we have the date picked and the flavors of the cakes all set in stone."

"Aww." He poked at her sides before helping her out of the dress. "That's better than nothing though to be honest babe. At least shit is happening and you're both moving forward. You know if it'll make you feel better you can have your own wedding, it doesn't have to be a double one. I know you feel like you're holding Nik back sometimes."

"I want the double wedding. I want to walk up the aisle with my sister and dad." Bri smiled. "This is what I want. What I don't want is this stress and I don't even know why I'm stressing out, planning a wedding is easier than starting up a business."

"I think starting a business is hard." He wrapped his arms around her waist as they settled into the bed. "It's really fucking hard."

"That's because you're so used to illegal shit." She trailed her fingers through his hair, her grey eyes studying his face carefully. "You can do this though. I have faith that if you really want this to be something legitimate, then you'll do what you have to do to make it happen. I think the strip club thing is the best idea for your club now… You just have to be smart about it because technically felons cannot own businesses or have liquor licenses."

Jax nodded as he rested his head on her chest and let out a long sigh. "I appreciate the support and your seemingly vast knowledge about this shit."

"I appreciate the way you're speaking intelligently, the way I think you should _always_ carry yourself babe." Bri draped a leg over his body and closed her eyes as she listened to the sound of the man's breathing evening out. "You do know that I love you to death right? That I'll always support you no matter what. I may disagree with the way you run your club but I'll still stand at your side at the end of the day. We can never let them see the King and Queen divided."

"I know you do." He looked up at her and smiled. "I'll tell you right now, there's shit brewing with the Irish. I don't know when they're going to reach out and pay us a visit but I know it's coming. They don't like us moving to legal business so they're going to make some noise and if that happens, I'll need you to go on lockdown without giving me too much shit about it."

"I will try to go into lockdown without giving you a lot of shit about it. It's just too small there and not enough space. I just don't like feeling like I'm in a sardine tin." She chuckled softly. "I will behave if we do go on lockdown soon. I promise."

"The twins are crying!" Javier moved into the master suite. "They won't stop crying! I swear it!"

"Lord." Bri rolled off the bed and wrapped herself in her robe. "I totally forgot about turning the monitors back on." She shook her head. "I'll make them stop crying, my little fatties." She followed after Javier. "You look extra handsome today my love. What's the big occasion? Your sister making you pose for pictures again?"

"Yes!" He sighed. "She dressed me and Creed up and make us take pictures! I hated it so much mom!"

"How dare she huh?" She stopped and dropped down to her son's level, easily helping him out of the stuffy suit. "Run around in your boxers, be free and happy. Did you hear from your dad about Christmas plans?"

"This is nice." Javier laughed and tapped on his chest. "I talked to him this morning. He said he'll stop by on Christmas eve so I can open the presents he bought for me. I'm so excited! I hope he bought me a lot of new dinosaurs!"

"You and those dinos." Bri smiled at him before moving into the twins' room. "Look at Noah, he's sucking on Mason's hand like he doesn't have two hands of his own."

"Noah is so fat." Javier shook his head as he peered into the crib at this youngest brothers. "Mason doesn't mind 'cause that's his big brother!"

"I know huh." Bri lifted Noah out of the crib and poked at his lips. "Are you hungry?"

"He is." He lifted Mason from the crib and smiled. "Look mom I did it!"

"Yay!" The brunette chuckled as she sat down in the glider. "At least you haven't dropped your brothers like their father has."

"He dropped them?" Javier shook his head as he sat carefully in the second glider. "More than once? I know he let them roll off the sofa."

"Yup, more than once." Bri shrugged. "It was pretty traumatizing if I do say so myself my love. I wanted to beat up Jax for dropping my little hot potatoes." She shook her head. "I will feed him first, then we'll switch off. You can cuddle Mase and let him fall asleep while this one eats for thirteen years."

 **December 24, 2014**

"What'd you get me for Christmas?" Brianna inquired as she looked Juice up and down, taking notice of the large amount of gift bags he was currently holding as he stood just outside of the door's threshold. "I hope it's something edible because I'm hungry and the hot pockets I nuked are still trying to cool down."

Juice shook his head as he moved into the house after the brunette. "I still think it's weird that you don't hate me…"

"Why would I hate you huh?" She glanced back at him and smiled. "What would that do for the two of us and Javi? We tried, we failed, we had a kid and now we're doing the co parenting thing together. So, I'm never going to hate you, I'll get annoyed with you but that's about it. How's your little girlfriend?"

He nodded as he walked into the family room to see his son laying on the sofa, a puppy on his chest. "You bought him a puppy? She's fine."

"No, I didn't buy him a puppy." Bri shook her head as she lifted the dog off of her son's chest. "This is my dad's Christmas present. He's always wanted an all white English bulldog, so that's what he's going to get. I mean look at this puppy, he looks like my dad. It's perfect."

"Dad!" Javier rushed to the man and smiled. "Hi! I got you a present too!"

"Hey man." Juice lifted up his son and kissed his head. "I got you a whole lot of presents. Are you ready to open them up?"

"Yes!" Javier nodded eagerly. "I gave mom her present already! She's waiting to open it until we open up our presents dad. I also got Monica a present, you know she moved next door! I miss her so sometimes I sleep in her room with Creed. Her bed smells like sugar cookies, it's so weird. Creed is my other best friend, like we go on so many adventures together! I gotta show you the treehouse! It's so so cool!"

"He gets excited and when he's on that level, there's no turning it down." Bri shook her head as she ran her hand over Javier's head. "He's been talking about this nonstop for a week. He's been excited about you coming over and you two having your own little Christmas together." She chuckled. "It's lovely. It's very lovely. I love seeing him so excited. He even got a fresh haircut last night."

"Because I get two Christmases!" Javier dropped to his feet and laughed. "I want to show all my presents to Creed later." He grabbed his dad's hand and tugged him towards the large Christmas tree and grinned. "Mom says I look dapper with my haircut. I like it a lot like this. Do you like my hair or should I get a cut like yours?"

Juice ran his hand over his son's hair and shook his head. "I don't think you should have hair like mine. I like this hair. You do look dapper, like you're about to run the country man. My hair is growing out because I'm too lazy to get it cut back into a mohawk right now."

"I like you with hair and a mustache." Javier tugged the man to the floor and passed him a gift. "That's what I got for you! Mom helped me pick it out and Monica wrapped it. You can tell by the bow! She makes wonky bows."

"What is it man?" Juice smiled as he turned the box over in his hands before tearing through the paper. "You got me a drone!? That's so cool, I've wanted one of these so I can take pictures of the neighborhood! Thank you man. I love it so much."

"I knew he was gonna love it!" Javier shouted as he looked over at his mom and flashed her an all too familiar lopsided grin. "He's gonna take pictures of the 'hood mom!"

"Yeah well, I don't know what hood he lives in but alright." Bri laughed and shook her head. "Last I remember he lived in the nice part of Charming… Cute little house."

"Still there." Juice smiled as he looked over at the brunette. "If I ever move, you'll be the first to know Kat."

"Her name isn't Kat." The little boy shook his head as he climbed onto his dad's back and rested his head on his shoulder. "Her name is mom! But sometimes Pops calls her Katarzyna and everyone else calls her Bri! No Kat dad. No, no, no!"

"You heard him." She smirked at Juice. "No calling me Kat! It's not my name." She chuckled and shook his head as she tossed him another gift. "Merry Christmas. I hope you don't have to use it but if you do, I hope you use it well."

"You really didn't need to buy me anything." Juice looked at the neatly wrapped box before tracing his fingers over Bri's neat handwriting. "Thank you though." He pulled the card off the box and set it aside before tearing through the paper and quickly opening the hard case. "A gun?"

"Yeah, you always used to love my dad's." She shrugged. "It's like his but yours."

"Thank you." He nodded slowly before closing the case back. "I love it. Here's yours. It's nothing too extravagant. I didn't know what to get for you to be honest."

"You bought my mom a present?" Javier shook his head. "We didn't talk about this first." He watched his mom open up the present before covering his face. "You're making me look bad man!"

Bri laughed and shook her head. "I love it. I've wanted this bag for a while." She smiled as she set the purse down next to her. "Thank you Juice."

"You're welcome." Juice nodded and smiled. "Javi, you can outdo me tomorrow when she opens up your presents. I'm sure whatever you got her is better than a purse. Moms are suckers for gifts from their kids."

"I know." Javier hugged his dad tightly. "I love you. Thank you for having Christmas with us. Now it's my turn! I gotta open up all my presents now!"

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"They're terrible." Bri shook her head as she looked down at Juice and Javier who were fast asleep in the bean bag chair that sat in the middle of the media room. "Here I thought they were up to no good and that's why they were quiet."

"How is he doing with Javier?" Aleksandr looked at his daughter before glancing over at the sleeping forms. "How is he just doing altogether?"

"He's getting better with Javier again." She shrugged her shoulders as she pulled her dad towards the door of the room. "I don't know how he's doing himself though. I guess better since Jax doesn't have him buried six feet under in some patch of desert. There's no cops on his ass that I know of… I just hope it's all uphill for him from here. He was a fucking asshole to me but I don't want him doing bad. I need him to do good for himself and our son. I need him to be someone Javier is going to look up to for life."

"I'll sit down and have a talk with him." Aleksandr nodded as he shut the door behind him. "I'll wait until the holidays are over though. I'll talk to Jackson too. I'll get my head bit off for poking my nose into Sons shit but I don't care because I do agree with you, your son should be able to look up to his dad. I want to make it happen but if it doesn't happen, he will need alternatives so I need Jax on his best behavior too."

Bri nodded as she hugged the man tightly. "I love you dad. Now, come on here. Let's be honest, you just came over because you knew I made your favorite desserts."

He chuckled. "I did. You got me. I just came for the rum balls and not to check in on my kid the night before Christmas. I'm also here for the bread because you're getting better at making bread as well."

"Shut up, I hate you man." She shook her head. "Come on, let's get you a plate of desserts before Jax and Creed wake up from their own nap and clear out the kitchen… I also want to make Juice some plates to take home. I know he doesn't cook anything hearty, he's a fucking health freak but holidays are for eating carbs."

"I stopped listening to you when you said plate of desserts." Aleksandr dropped to the kitchen stool and smiled. "Make it two plates. One and a half for me, the other half for Sariya. She likes sweets too."

"A woman after my own heart." Bri laughed as she sat down and began fixing her dad's plates. "Here's to hoping that tomorrow is drama free and fun. I'll murder anyone who ruins my Christmas plans."

* * *

 **Oh yeah, I managed to update on the day I promise to. I'm getting better at this thing lol anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I think it was fun to see some new dynamics forming and some old dynamics coming back around. So let me know what you thought about it.**


	63. Holiday Cheer Part One

**December 25, 2014**

The floor was littered with with wrapper paper, empty boxes and piles of toys separated by child. Gift opening had been a success and not that the kids were all outside having fun and eating candy, Brianna finally had a chance to catch her breath. "I didn't think they'd wake up _that_ early." She mumbled to herself as she began picking up the pieces of paper. "I don't want to see this much wrapping paper ever again."

"I think you said that last time as well." Aleksandr shook his head as he helped his daughter start to clean up after her children. "At least you can't blame it on the twins, way too young to make a disaster like this. This was all Creed, Javi and Kajsa. Monica didn't even have a whole lot to open this year. She wanted all of that expensive stuff."

"Leave my baby girl alone." She shook her head as she looked at Monica's neat pile of presents that sat atop the coffee table and smiled. "She asked for things she knows she'll have for years to come. A camera will change but the lenses seldom change. She's making an investment into her future. I think she's serious about forgoing college to travel and take pictures around the world. I want her to go to college but I also know that she needs to do what will make her happy."

He nodded as he picked up the all white camera on top of the table. "Monica has expensive taste and a family that supports her passion." He set it back down and smiled. "Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?"

"Nope." Bri shook her head. "Um, my sister and my niece and nephew are missing. They're supposed to be over later though. I just wanted them here at the ass crack of dawn. Even Jax woke up to help Creed tear through his presents. It was ridiculous."

"No one wanted to wake up that early." He chuckled as he tied off the garbage bag. "I'm only here because I spent the night. It's what we all should've done. Next year though, yeah?"

"Please do not let her start up on some plans for next year." Jax shook his head as he walked into the room, a twin in each arm. "They want to eat."

"Oh do they now?" Bri looked at her sons before nodding. "I don't know what possessed me to have these kids." She chuckled. "Bring them here though. I'll feed them while you two get all the gifts to the right rooms. Leave Monica's stuff out, she'll probably take them back when she goes to her dad's."

He rolled his eyes. "You are asking me that? I'm pretty sure you were going around saying you wanted sixteen kids." He chuckled as he ignored her suggestion and sat down next to her. "We made three gorgeous kids. I wouldn't change that for shit. I love all of my boys."

"I wish we would've had a girl." She shrugged as she adjusted Noah in her arms. "One of these fatties and a matching sister." She chuckled as she trailed her fingers through Noah's dark hair. "This one is going to raise hell… I have a question though babe. A serious ass question."

"Go for it." Jax nodded as he rested his feet on the coffee table and looked down at Mason. "You hear that Mase, your mom is going to ask me a serious question. I may be in trouble."

"You're not in trouble. He's not in trouble." Bri rolled her eyes as she looked up at her fiance. "The whole Abel thing… What do we tell the boys about him and shit like that?"

He shrugged as he looked at her. "Didn't think about it. I don't think he'll be in our lives. Wendy is pretty dead set on keeping him out of my life and me out of his. You know that whole messy situation I had going."

"Yeah but if he is…" She trailed off at the sound of Creed's crying. "Jesus, what happened now. Come here."

"He fell while chasing after Javi." Monica shook her head as she picked up her brother. "He hit his face hard. He's bleeding a little bit."

"My baby." Bri shook her head. "Just set him down here, grab the first aid kit and come clean him up. He's going to be fine, he's just more shaken up than anything. My little baby." She trailed her fingers through Creed's hair and smiled at him. "Huh baby boy? You're fine, you just got your first real owie and you'll have a scar right there."

"Ow!" Creed shook his head as he grabbed his mom's hand. "Ow!"

"Stop it." Jax grabbed his eldest son and shook his head. "It's not the end of the world kid. You're fine here. You're good. It'll be alright. I promise you that much. Look your sister is going to make you all better! Then you can go back to playing with your new toys."

"Alright, I'm Dr. Hohrykova-Lowman." Monica smiled as she dropped the first aid kit onto the sofa. "I'm gonna fix you right up Mr. Teller. Let me see your face."

"Hugs." Creed jumped onto his sister and wrapped his arms around her neck ."I want hugs M!"

"Ok." She nodded as she hugged him tightly. "Let's go let's go lay down and wait for Christmas dinner. I'll still fix your face."

"My little babies." Bri smiled. "Go, take Javi with you too. He's going to crash soon too. I'll wake you up when dinner is ready."

"You didn't open your presents." Jax passed Mason to Bri before taking Noah. "All yours are still wrapped and under the tree. What's up with that?"

"I was too damn tired and today is for the kids not for me. I loved watching them rip through presents. I also had fun opening up the twins' gifts." She grabbed his hand. "You didn't open up your presents either. They're still under the tree, what's up with that huh?"

"I'm not a holiday person, haven't really been into them since I was young. I do think it's fun to watch the kids. Creed was trying to open everyone's presents but his own. Did you see how he was with Kajsa?" He shook his head. "Keep an eye on it."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Creed thinks Kajsa is Lumi. He hasn't learned to distinguish with tiny little thing is who just yet. He sees Kajsa more. That's why he goes Lumi and she's like no Kajsa. Plus you're so nasty, they're cousins! Blood or not they're family!"

"I'm not nasty." He shook his head. "That's a thing. It's a common thing. Where's my Kajsa anyways?"

"Probably asleep with Nik, Ant and Spencer. I know my dad has to be passed out with Petra Sariya." She shrugged. "I'm like so gonna tell her you were looking for her. Then I'm gonna laugh when Kol beats your ass for saying Kajsa is yours."

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"Where's your better half Bri?" Alex looked the brunette before down at the toddler that was currently wrapped around his legs. "This one has to be her kid. He's not yours. He's everything like Jacey and nothing like you."

Bri shrugged and smiled. "They should be here in less than a minute." She reached down and pulled Creed from the man's legs. "Alex is not a jungle gym babe. You can't just climb on him."

"I can." Creed nodded and wrapped himself back around Alex. "He's fun."

"Don't worry about it, I like kids. They're interesting." He chuckled as he looked back down at Creed. "I'd take ya home with me but no one would think you're mine."

The brunette opened her mouth just as the doorbell sounded. "I'll be right back." She smiled as she moved out of the family room and to the front door, pulling it open quickly. "Hello, what are you doing? You know you can just walk into the house you guys are family."

Jacey shrugged her shoulder. "I can barely walk right now because your _sweet little nephew_ has decided he doesn't wanna be with Happy. He wants me so…" She smiled. "Hi though."

"Oh maybe he'll go find Kajsa who is being hogged by his uncle Jax." Bri smiled. "Hey. Your little friend is here. Your best friend in the whole world!"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "He's moody, wants to lay down." She cocked an eyebrow at her sister. "My who? My what?"

"He can lay down on the sofa with me." The brunette smiled. "You know, your little best friend. Walmart… Was cute but now is sexy as hell."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure you should stop going to Walmart from now on." He moved inside the house, still holding onto his daughter. "Come on, Cam."

"I met one of the loves of my life in Walmart." Bri shrugged. "You gotta see him, he's gonna get a kick out of you being pregnant."

Jacey started laughing. "Oh my god! He's here?! I have to see him. I miss his fine ass." She bent down, picking her son up. "I can't drag you through the house, someone might call the cops. Lay down." She settled Kol on her side.

"He's enjoying himself and Jax is trying not to pout about it so he's playing dolls with Kajsa." Bri closed the door. "Kol, Papa is here. He's sitting in his recliner waiting for his Kol."

The toddler shook his head and buried his face in Jacey's neck. "Mama." He mumbled.

"Jacey!" Alex smiled at the blonde. "I found your son! Bri keeps saying he's hers but I'm thinking she's lying to me."

The blonde started grinning. "Hi handsome." She approached the man and hugged him. "Creed?! Where have you been all my life?"

"Here." Creed smiled as he reached out and touched Kol. "Hi Kol!"

Kol looked back and started smiling at his cousin. "Hi Creed! Whatcha doing?" He turned icy gaze into Alex and started glaring. "My mama, not yours."

"This one is mine, I wish Creed was mine too. He's perfect, huh?" Jacey smiled at Alex. "Alex, meet Kol. Kol say hi to Alex, don't state your possessions."

"Toys." Creed nodded. "Come on!"

Alex smiled at Kol. "I know she's yours. I'm not trying to take her. I just wanted to say hi to her."

"My mama." Kol stated again as he was set to his feet. "I'll get my daddy on you too."

Jacey covered her face. "You can't threaten people with your dad…" She moved toward Alex, hugging as best she could. "Hi! How are you?"

"Happy, right? I think him and I are on good terms." Alex squeezed the blonde tightly. "I'm good, just got back in town and came straight here because Bri promised dinner and desserts. I was expecting to come over and see her pregnant, not you. How's the pregnancy?"

She nodded her head and smiled. "Yeah, my mean ass _Happy_. He's probably in living room with Igor and Frey." She looked down and shrugged. "It's good, she already had twins back in August. We always do this. One gets pregnant then the other trails behind."

"I saw the twins and I know that they're mine. I can just kidnap them and claim them as my own. Alex smirked and nodded. "I need to pick up the pace and have a few kids. I think I have a friend with benefits that'd be down to pop one out for me."

Jacey started laughing. "You're a slut, you don't need kids. Just let me hire you as my new nanny. I've got a sweet little five year old that you love." She nodded. "She's probably with Igor too, hiding in his coat."

"That's the same thing Bri said." He chuckled. "I can't be a nanny. I can have playdates but not a nanny. I can be a step dad though. I have faith in my ability to do that."

"Ignore him." Bri shook her head. "He's set on pissing Jax off because he can tell how annoyed your brother is by his presence."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Bet ya won't follow after Bri into the living room and smack her ass." She smirked at Alex. "You won't do it."

"Dude, challenged accepted." Alex smirked at the blonde. "Your brother won't do anything."

She smirked back and shrugged again. "I don't think so but I know you'll chicken out, you won't do it."

"I will too." He nodded as he winked at the blonde before following Bri into the living room and smacking her ass soundly. "Couldn't resist it…"

Happy looked at Alex before looking at his wife. "Jesus… Remind me to divorce out of this crazy ass family soon." He mumbled to Igor.

"Good evening everyone." Jacey grinned as she walked further into the room.

"Igor, you wanna take the kids out of here for five minutes?" Jax looked at the man. "I need to handle something really fast."

Igor shook his head. "Not particularly. Get one of your handy dandy _brothers_ to do so. I'd like to watch this." He flashed a grin at the man.

"Jackson." Jacey smirked as she approached her brother. "Happy holidays, you grumpy little man."

"He just fucking smacked my wife's ass J." Jax shook his head. "Am I just supposed to let it go?"

The blonde shrugged. "Fiancé. Not wife. And I do it all the time. She's fair game." She smiled at him.

"We already have the marriage license. She's my _wife_." He shrugged. "Not fair game anymore."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "That means shit until you share vows. Fair game and it's a good thing you're pretty because damn, you're dumb." She smiled, kissing his cheek. "She's fair game."

"No, we're technically married." Jax shook his head. "Brianna is _mine_."

"Lord, help us all right now." Aleksandr shook his head. "Alex keep your hands to yourself before you leave without any. Jacey stop trying to rile people up. It's Christmas, I'd prefer it didn't end in a break up or argument or death."

The blonde groaned, flicking her brother's nose. "Oh my god! You basically snitched to my dad! Pansy ass, don't ruin my fun dad!"

"I'm not ruining any fun, they're married, Nik and Anthony are married. You and Happy are just the only ones that have had a wedding." He shrugged. "Come here and give me a hug though. I've been stuck with Bri and Nik all day. I need some normal in my life."

Happy scoffed. "You picked the wrong person for that then. She's bat-shit crazy." He shook his head. "I'm just saying."

"No, no. I watched Bri and Nik try to scale the tree, that's why it's no longer upright but on it's side. Then they decided that hot chocolate body shots were an ok thing to get into." Aleksandr shook his head. "Jacey is being normal, she's starting shenanigans. I may appear upset about it but I wouldn't be mad if she continued. As long as I got a hug first."

Jacey flicked her husband's lips. "Shut up too. Pansy." She moved to Aleksandr and sat down on his lap, hugging him. "Hi dad! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too. I've been awake since five this morning. That's when Creed and Javi woke up the whole house to open presents." He shook his head as he hugged her back. "Now I'm enjoying this silent tension between your brother and Alex… It's the best thing ever."

Jacey shrugged. "Too bad they're not mine. I had to get mine up for presents. They're lazy and now Kol is trying to regain his energy because we woke him up to come over here." She shook her head. "And damn if he isn't grumpy too…"

"I know he's grumpy and sleepy because he hasn't even batted an eyelash at the way Kajsa is putting flowers in his uncle's hair." He chuckled. "Give him a sip of my whiskey, it'll wake him up and put hair on his chest. Kol come here my boy."

Kol looked at his grandfather and started to glare. "No!"

"Told you he's grumpy." Jacey murmured as she watched her son huff and look away.

"Kol, you wanna go cuddle?" Monica looked at her little brother and smiled. "I got rid of those pillows you hate."

Kol shook his head and stood up, moving to Bri. "Hugs?"

"Ha! He just traded you both in for Bri. That's good shit." Jacey grinned as she started rubbing her belly. "Damn that sucks."

"Of course my love." Bri picked up her nephew and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry you got woken up baby."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Should've taken his nap when he was told to, not when he was supposed to be awake. Don't give into his shit."

"Hi!" Kajsa smiled as she tucked a flower into Kol's shoe laces. "Flowers for my grumpy face!"

Happy lifted the toddler up. "Don't talk to him right now, he's not feeling good right now. But I do think Jacey mention something about wanting a flower crown."

"Where's my presents?" Kajsa rested her crown on Happy's head and giggled. "No crowns for J! I have no more!"

He frowned. "She's gonna be so upset, she's been looking forward to getting a crown all day. Your presents are with her."

"I got you a present." She tapped on his cheeks and smiled. "It's a useful one. My mom said so."

Happy chuckled and nodded. "Save for later when we start opening presents. Go see J and tell her that you're out of flowers. I gotta find a bathroom." He kissed her forehead.

"Deal." She nodded as she jumped from his arms and onto the back of the recliner. "J, I don't have any more flowers but I got something better for you."

Jacey looked back, smiling at the toddler. "Hi gorgeous. Did you say you're out of flowers?" She stood up from her father's lap and grabbed Kajsa. "What do you have for me?"

"A mermaid crown 'cause you have mermaid hair, like you came from the water and now it's all wavy." She trailed her fingers through Jacey's hair. "It's an 'clusive."

The blonde smiled. "Oh that's so beautiful… I love the idea. You think I'm a mermaid? I've been thinking about changing my career." She kissed Kajsa's cheek. "You look so beautiful, I love your dress too."

"It has shells and glitter." Kajsa nodded and grinned. "I think so! Thank you. My daddy dressed me in it. He said I look like a princess."

Jacey laughed a little. "You're beautiful, babe. You make me so jealous, my love."

"When is the baby coming?" She rubbed Jacey's cheeks and giggled. "I like your eyes! They're blue!"

The blonde shrugged as she adjusted the toddler. "She's gonna hopefully be here in April. Are you ready for that?" She kissed Kajsa's nose. "Thank you, my love. Maybe that's because you also love Kol's eyes and we have the same eyes."

"Yes!" Kajsa nodded eagerly. "My Kol has pretty pretty eyes."

Jacey laughed as she sat down on the sofa and settled Kajsa on her lap. "Sorry, babe but you sitting on my belly is making the baby kick a lot. She'll be here soon. I'm counting down." She smiled. "He does have pretty eyes, he's a handsome devil, huh?"

"I didn't mean to sit on her." Kajsa furrowed her brow. "Sorry baby. He is. I got him presents."

She shook her head. "Oh it's ok, baby. You don't have to apologize. She's just getting cramped in my belly." She ran her fingers through Kajsa's hair and smiled. "What'd you get him?"

"My mommy found my brother, she didn't have him in her tummy at all." She giggled. "I got him a nerf gun, some candy and other things I forget."

"How come I don't get any babies or children hanging all over me?" Alex shook his head. "Even my little homie Creed peaced out on me."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders as she pulled the man down beside her. "Because you're not chipper enough. That or pregnant. Normally she's paying me zero mind and giving all the attention to the baby or Kol." She smiled. "That all sounds great, baby. I'm sure he'll love it. Have you met Alex yet? He's me and B's best friend from college."

"Yes." Kajsa nodded. "He gave me hugs."

"I spent fifteen minutes letting Monica take pictures of me with lots of expensive looking cameras. I'm pretty sure I now know that my left side is a bit better than my right side. It's been eye opening." Alex chuckled. "I made it onto her photo wall though, so I can't complain. I remember when you and Bri had one. It was basically lots of pictures of tits and ass."

Jacey popped the man's hand. "Language, Alex. We had fun. Hush, hush, hush." She smiled.

"Boobs and butts." He shook his head. "My bad. I'm getting used to the little listening ears thing. I did get some new vocabulary from Monica… Boy, oh boy is her mouth like yours and Bri's."

The blonde smirked. "You're welcome. That is our little jewel. Plus look who her father is. He's a mess alone. That's his baby though… So everything she technically learned is from him."

"She's my baby girl too." Jax nodded and smiled. "We used to have tea parties together."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Brianna get your toy before he loses his tongue. You know how Happy is." She smirked at Jax. "Fair game, babe."

"Not fair game." He shook his head. "Monica is my step daughter, get over it. I love her like she's my own."

Jacey shook her head. "I'm not saying anything to you about this subject anymore. Not until you can start getting your life together about _all_ things that is of relevance."

"What relevant thing am I missing?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Everything is going in the right direction for the club, I'm marrying Bri before the year is out, my kids are straight."

Jacey nodded slowly. "Ok, whatever you say. But remember there's only six days left of the year so figure that the fuck out."

"Six days for him to convince Nikola and Brianna that a trip to Vegas for a quickie wedding is a good idea." Anthony shrugged. "We had this conversation earlier."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Why are you trying to ruin her plans for her big wedding, Jackson? Stop being a dick." She looked at Anthony. "What about you? How wedding planning going for you?"

"Nik and I are already legally married, she has my last name already. We're just doing the ceremony part, so that planning is easy. Bri and Nik are doing a great job." He smiled.

Jacey shrugged. "Sounds like the easy parts are done for you guys then. I'm happy for you, sunshine." She looked down at Kajsa as she felt the baby kicking again. "Are you talking to her, babe?"

"Yes." Kajsa nodded eagerly. "I'm telling her about my crazy family."

"Um, not all of us are crazy." Aleksandr threw a candy cane at Kajsa. "Just some of them. Jacey, Jax, Bri, Monica, Javier on occasion. Toss in some Juice. Oh, can't forget aunt Raisa. Don't clump us all together, it hurts my feelings."

"I'm under attack!" Kajsa shook her head. "I'm eating this cane."

Jacey took off her pump and threw it at Aleksandr. "Don't throw things at her! Especially food, that's potentially wasteful."

"Lord have mercy on all of us." Bri shook her head. "You wore pumps? I wore sneakers."

"She's eating it." Aleksandr shook his head. "Don't throw things with pointy ends at your dad. Now I'm bleeding from this attack! Someone call a doctor!"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I wanted to look cute, Jesus. Sue me." She shook her head. "You're dramatic, shush."

"You look good, way more than just cute." Bri smiled. "Dad, your girlfriend is right there. She's a doctor. Kol, you see these shenanigans that happen when we're altogether? It's magic huh?"

Kol started glaring at Aleksandr again. "Don't talk to my mama that way, big meanie jerk!"

"Ok, I'll remember you calling me a jerk when you come over and want to hang out with me." Aleksandr nodded slowly. "I'll remember this exact moment."

"Ooooh, you're gonna get banned from snacks." Javier shook his head. "Don't do it Kol!"

Kol stuck his tongue out at Aleksandr. "You lied to me, don't talk to me ever ever ever ever again."

"How did I lie to you?" Aleksandr looked at Kol. "Huh?"

He crossed his arms and looked away from the man. "You said you couldn't have a sleepover because you didn't feel good but I know you felt fine! You were here."

"I don't feel well. I came over here to have my daughter baby me." The man shook his head. "I'm still running a fever. Why do you think I don't have a suit on huh?"

Kol rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking to you… You're a meanie face!"

"If that's how you want it to be then ok." He shrugged his shoulders. "I will stop talking to you starting right now."

Jacey shook her head. "Hey, Kol Lowman, you better stop being mean to your Papa. He does silent treatment much better than you, baby. Where'd Cami go?"

"I think she followed Igor off when he went to hunt down food and alcohol." Monica smiled. "So they're in the kitchen."

The blonde sighed. "Hopefully she's speaking. I don't necessarily care what language, as long as she's actually talking." She shook her head.

"Maybe he'll get her drunk." Monica chuckled. "I hear they start little Russian girls off with vodka early on in life."

Happy shrugged. "She's not really Russian though so she doesn't count. She's just a little Mexican."

"Well, that's true." The brunette shrugged. "I'm just a whole lot of white."

Jacey started laughing. "Until someone pisses you off then you channel some angry Happy and it's pretty amazing." She shrugged.

"Moni is just a white girl." Javier swatted at his sister's hair. "It's a tragedy, it really is."

The blonde stuck her tongue out at Javier and shook her head. "Hey, your wife is half white… Watch your words." She smiled.

"But Moni is _uber white_." He smiled. "My wife is perfect."

Jacey shrugged. "You're not telling me anything I don't already know, babe… I know my princess is perfect." She smiled at him. "What'd you get her for Christmas?"

"I got her some art stuff and a Tiffany's bracelet." Javier nodded. "My dad helped me pick it out."

Jacey took off her other pump and threw it at her husband. "Take notes, jerk. He's making big and cute moves. Tiffany bracelet _and_ art stuff." She smiled at Javier. "Babe, she's gonna love it all. I bet you guys did amazing."

"It has our initials on it and everything." He grinned widely. "I spare no expense for my lady."

"My boyfriend got me gift cards to Forever 21 and Pink." Monica shook her head. "I need a new boyfriend."

Happy shook his head. "You need to get your ducks back in a row thinking you have any boyfriends period. Here Aleksandr, another dangerous heel to beat your kid with when people leave the room."

"She has a boyfriend and all they do is kiss!" Javier laughed as he dodged his sister's punch. "Kissy face all day! I don't know how she still has lips!"

Happy cocked an eyebrow at his daughter before looking around the room for Bri. "Where the hell is Brianna?!"

"She made a clean getaway as soon as Monica said boyfriend." Alex shook his head. "Probably halfway to San Francisco by now."

"No, she went to the stairs." Kajsa nodded. "Not Cisco."

Jacey passed Kajsa to Alex and smiled at the man. "Keep my girl safe, she's my favorite." She flicked Happy's lips when she walked past him. "Mine, not yours. Go drink with Igor." She kissed his cheek before she made her way into the foyer toward the stairs. "If I pretend to scold you for letting Monica have a boyfriend like he wants to, do I get hugs and kisses like I so desire?" She grinned at her sister. "Christmas is your favorite so why are you by yourself?"

"Oh, I did not let her have a boyfriend. It just simply happened." Bri smiled. "Um, I came here to hide so Happy couldn't yell at me. I do not want drama at all today. I will pinch Javier for being a snitch."

Jacey slowly sat down beside her sister and hugged. "Shit, those are seriously like playing a damn game of drop it like its hot." She laughed a little. "He's not gonna yell, I told him for each time he yells at you, that's a day off his calendar that he can get any booty." She laced her fingers with Bri's. "You did good. She's improving so much and her living with us is even better because her and Hap get on much time together."

"He better not yell at me, I'll drop to the floor and cry. Be overdramatic as hell." She chuckled and nodded. "I'm glad she's improving a lot. I think this change was needed. So, I'm happy with it. Even if she just comes over here to makeout with her flavor of the week."

Jacey shrugged. "Sounds a little like some sluts I used to know. Real slutty troublemakers." She smirked at Bri. "I think she enjoys being with that side of her family all the time. Not to mention her and Cami, their relationship."

"Don't even get me started, she's _twelve_. I've already had to teach her how to cover up a _love bite_." Bri shook her head. "I didn't wanna send her back to you guys and a sure death. So I broke down and showed her. I agree, she likes your crazy asses a whole lot. Oh, I know. She was telling me about her and Cami getting better."

Jacey started laughing. "Oh god, that's not good. That's not good. No no no. My poor baby is gonna have a heart attack if he finds out." She shook her head as she pulled her phone out of her dress. "Look at the lock screen. Her and my baby girl together."

"Jacey i swear it's the size of Africa, ask her to show you later." Bri smiled at the phone. "The new version of Blondie and Brownie. I love it."

The blonde laughed. "She'll be killed. Oh dear god. Where's it at?" She shrugged. "Hap's working on the drawing of them he caught the other day. Cami's drawing a picture of Monica taking a picture. It's some amazing shit."

"It's on her neck." She shook her head. "I think if he sees it, she'll learn a quick lesson of slutting it up this young. I told her she shouldn't be doing it but then she hit me with a 'what were you doing at twelve mom'. Why is your family talented and mine isn't? I can't even take credit for Monica's photography skills. That's all you and Elijah."

She smirked. "She's going to get beat." She shrugged. "I don't know babe, Cami inherited Hap's amazing drawing skills and she loves being in the dark room or at the studio. Kol pretends he's not a good artist, but he's relaxed when watching Hap draw. I don't even know how Monica even decided to pick up a camera."

"As long as they keep it fully clothed and above the belt… I don't need Javi walking in on anything more than kissing." Bri nodded. "Elijah gave her a camera and told her to put her anxious energy into capturing peaceful moments. It just stuck. He had given her a camera that he had bought for you but never had the chance to give to you."

Jacey nodded her head. "Imagine when Cam and Javi get to that age. Oh dear god. You think my baby girl will be a little slut?" She sighed. "When I first saw she had that camera and found he gave it to her, my heart shattered. I saw it in this store we were in one morning and fell in love but I couldn't get it, I didn't have any money on me and I didn't want him to buy it for me." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah she will be." Bri chuckled. "I honestly don't know where she gets it. I wasn't a slut until I was fourteen and met Juan. We'd fool around in the girls' bathroom." She nodded slowly. "Have you seen the matching one she has? I told her if she doesn't use it she should gift it to you since you wanted that camera."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I wasn't a slut until I met - whoa, nevermind. Wrong person. I was like thirteen. Nevermind, it's my fault. I'm sorry." She shrugged her shoulders again. "Nope, I haven't. Do you want to talk about how your lovely twelve year old almost caught me and Hap in the wrong place and time…"

"Oh no. She didn't…" Bri laughed and shook her head. "She would've been scarred but she also would've talked her doctor's head off about it."

Jacey nodded slowly. "Oh yes. In the shower. She just didn't realize I was still in the bathroom, I just ran to the bathroom closet." She shrugged. "My big pregnant ass running… I almost beat Happy."

"Lord, you two love sex in the shower." Bri rolled her eyes and smirked. "Gotta lock the doors from now on. Last thing I need to hear is she walked in on her dad and step mom."

The blonde shook her head. "No everyone has this radar that goes off when we're in the shower trying to get it in." She shrugged. "Assholes. Everyone always interrupts, oh my god, Case! That fucker just wants me to kill him."

"I will help you kill him. We do not get along at all. It's like water and oil." Bri smiled. "I can't even deal with it."

She started laughing. "I don't know why either. He used to be your best friend…"

"He got offended that I showed a lack of empathy for the club losing prospects." The brunette shrugged. "I can't feel bad. They just make really bad decisions that take too many lives… That's not the point though. He thinks I'm difficult or some dumb shit of the sort."

Jacey shook her head. "I hate thinking about that. It honestly makes me not wanna let Hap out of my damn sight." She sighed. "I'm pretty sure I'd die if he did…"

"See I have this pet peeve, Jax is really intelligent, it's that damn temper and impulse that fucks everything up. It's like an instant tit for tat instead of thinking it all out and weighing the pros and cons. I'd kill him if Happy or Juice got seriously hurt or died. I get on him every single time he comes home that he needs to live by that stupid plaque in the clubhouse, brains before bullets." Bri shook her head. "So, I'm all for him being part owner of a strip club if it means the club will be safe from here on out."

Jacey shook her head. "I'm telling you, I'd kill Jax then basically die. I could never lose him or the kids. That's a type of loss I wouldn't survive." She ran her fingers over her eyebrows and sighed. "Makes me so nervous."

'I wouldn't stop you." Bri shrugged. "I hate every single time he tells me he needs to go handle club shit. He's in over his head but he'd never admit it or ask for help."

She shrugged. "Did you know that I have a will set out? Had it since I had Cami… Guess who's mentioned a lot in it?" She squeezed Bri's hand. "This is too sad of a topic, if I keep thinking about Happy being hurt or more, I'll start crying and I'll never stop."

"Me and dad?" Bri nodded slowly and hugged her sister. "Morbid talk for a holiday but hey, it had to come up sometime. We both worry. You have a plan in place and my plan is just sorta like, I hope dad takes all the monsters."

Jacey nodded her head. "And Igor. I took Elijah off of it recently because Hap would die if anything of huge relevance was left to him. But I trust you, dad, Igor and Elijah most. Especially with all my precious cargo. And this one? Ugh." She shook her head. "Leaving her to you, she seems like your type." She laughed a little as she stood up. "Come on, I'm getting hungry and I'm sure Kol is probably sending glares to his Papa that are gonna get his little ass popped."

"I'd be happy to take the new one and the old ones if anything bad happened." Bri smiled and stood up. "You should see what I slaved over in the kitchen. It's all amazing. Some of your old favorites and new favorites. Managed to make some hot wings tossed in some very hot sauce that made dad drop to his knees with tears in his eyes."

Jacey groaned loudly. "Oh my god, oh my god. Why didn't you tell me? I would've had my cute little ass in the kitchen days ago." She laughed as she held her hands out for Bri. "Come on, I got a dad to pick on because he can't handle the heat and a husband to to kiss up to."

"I was waiting for the right moment to break the news to you." Bri chuckled as she grabbed Jacey's hands. "I love having the family together for holidays. This just feels so right. I also know that Monica probably got a mini lecture from her dad."

The blonde laughed. "Shut up, fool. I do too, I love having us together. We're missing somebody though, B. Where's he at?" She sighed heavily. "Jesus, she's hating the moving. Feel her."

"Who?" Bri furrowed her brow. "Who's missing?" She placed her hands on her sister's belly and smiled. "No, no. Those are her I want hot wings kicks."

Jacey sighed as she looked down at her belly. "I love that so much, you're so sweet to me. Elijah and Aurelia, Bri. They're family too, baby."

"I didn't ignore him or anything. I extended the invitation to everyone. Elijah included. I don't know where he's at. I'm not his keeper anymore." Bri shook her head. "We barely even talk as is. I never really thought my best friend wouldn't be my best friend. I know I have a lot of best friends but Elijah was my first real best friend I made while pregnant with Monica, so I assumed it would be a forever thing. Or at least eighteen years."

Jacey held her sister's face in her small hands. "He hasn't just left you, Bri. In all honesty, you both have been acting like children. He's hurt because he feels like you walked away from the friendship, vice versa. You two need to talk or I'll have to go into mom mode and force you in a room together like I did with Monica and Camryn."

"Feels like it." The brunette shrugged. "Do not put me in a room with him. I will cry, pout, yell and curl up into a tight little ball. You know I'm no good with this shit Jacey. I like happy emotions. I don't like uncertainty and all that bullshit. I like being sure and stuff. I also know he didn't simply just up and leave me. I'm not that childish."

The blonde shrugged. "Then text him yelling in all caps. Ask him where he's at. Family dinners are not family dinners if the entire family isn't here. My kids and my husband are here, you, your kids and that ugly toy of yours are here. Dad, our baby sister, her husband and her kids are here. Our big bad little toy soldiers are here. Except one. Plus my baby girl."

"I texted him earlier. I dunno where my phone is to see if he replied back." Bri shook her head. "Don't call Jax ugly. He's not ugly, he just has a unique look." She laughed. "Should we extend an invitation to Raisa while we're at it?"

Jacey rolled her eyes. "I will slap you… That whore tried to sleep with my husband. Hell yeah, call her. I want that nasty bitch to try something. Especially while she is talking mad shit about Nikola."

"Who isn't trying to sleep with Happy? I think every one but me has tried. Maybe not Nik because she likes her latin men with lots of hair on their head." Bri laughed.

The blonde shook her head. "Does he look that damn good?" She moved toward the family room, spotting her husband. "I mean clearly he's fine as hell to him. I fuck him fifty times a week, I created life with that fine piece of work. But really?" She shrugged. "She did good, honestly. Nik makes me proud, Anthony is a good looking man."

"Anthony so was gonna be mine first but every single man I like always picks a blonde!" Bri covered her face and chuckled. "It's a fucking curse, like it took me how many tries to find a man that loved me and my personality?"

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "They're all dumbasses. Everyone of them. Even that mean asshole." She gasped. "Oh shit he heard me, hide me!"

"I got you." Bri slid the doors to the kitchen closed and laughed. "Come on, taste these hot wings and tell me that I shouldn't be a domestic stay at home wife and mom."

The blonde groaned and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure my little demon is doing flips in my womb right now."

"Does she get hiccups a lot?" Bri smiled. "The twins would hiccup like they had just chugged root beer."

Jacey shook her head. "By hiccups you mean nothing… She's my quiet one, only kicks when she hears you and when Happy starts touching me." She sighed. "I wish it was April, I need her love."

"I'm just trying to feed her some hot wings." Bri laughed. "April will be here in no time. I'm excited for my birthday though. I'm gonna be so old but I want to go on a mini trip and no it's not to Vegas either. I gave up on that dream finally since you're always fucking pregnant when my birthday rolls around. Rude ass bitch."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Pretty sure my children's birthdays are both in January. Try again." She followed Bri into the kitchen. "By the way, Elijah said he was dealing with Sebastian, he's on his way though."

"You had little babies when it came time for Vegas." Bri shrugged. "Ehh, you still are never down to go to Vegas. You're so boring now that you're married. Is that what I have to look forward to?"

Jacey punched Bri's ass. "Shut up, you jerk. I am not boring. I've been pregnant since I got married."

"Ow! You're so abusive!" Bri rubbed her ass. "I already have bruises on my ass and Alex's smack didn't help it and now you're punching it. I'm just a punching bag today!"

The blonde shrugged. "I'm sorry, I really just want to touch it. Either fulfill my wishes or direct me to the other slut, Nik. She likes her booty being touched on."

"She's probably still cuddling up with Spencer and the puppies." Bri shrugged. "I love puppies."

Jacey shrugged. "So is that a no? I can't grab on you today?" She sighed heavily. "Is it because I'm wearing the red dress and not the black? I thought I looked rather good but ok."

"You can grab on me anyday J, you know that." The brunette smiled. "I like you in red. I think you look amazing."

The blonde shrugged again. "I seriously thought wearing this was gonna be a bad idea but eh, Hap enjoys it."

"Of course he does." Bri nodded as she picked up her icing bag and started squeezing the icing into her mouth.

Jacey nodded and smiled. "I like being appreciated. Sue me." She picked up a hot wing and started to eat it before she stopped. "No. Not spicy enough."

"Those aren't yours, those are for us normal people." Bri laughed and pushed another plate towards her sister. "Carolina Reaper hot sauce is coating the wings. It's supposed to be the hottest pepper these days. Replaced the ghost pepper."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "I was about to say… You need work." She grabbed a hot wing and started eating it. "That's really good."

"Slowly but surely getting better with the cooking thing. It's still weird." Bri smiled. "Good but could be better huh?"

Jacey shook her head. "You're an amazing cook, you need spicier wings though. Babylove isn't feeling the bite."

"Have some more hot sauce." She shook her head as she set the sauces in front of her sister. "It's the hottest sauces the store offered."

Jacey shrugged. "I'm going to get set on fire if she keeps this up. The other two were never this bad, i think I'm carrying Satan."

"She just has a sophisticated pallette." Bri laughed. "She's a foodie."

The blonde shook her head. "She's not a foodie, she's a fatty. She loves wings, but did you know? She hates sweets, won't stand for them. Makes me nauseous if I eat them."

"She's going to be the smallest, she's just making you gain weight for fun." Bri laughed. "She'll be like five pounds and not like eight."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I've had a tiny baby before, do you not remember Kol Lowman and his super ridiculous desire to be born? _Thirteen_ weeks early. Little damn asshole… At least he still is my little troublemaker." She smiled. "I'll work the weight off. I'll keep the man happy too."

"Yeah but when she's full term and five pounds, I'll laugh." Bri shrugged. "You do that and if all fails. I'll hit you with some lipo."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Don't be a jerk, not everyone can fatasses like you."

"Um, my babies were not fatasses. I deny that." Bri smiled. "They were average."

Jacey shook her head. "I want one, just one little chunky fatass full of rolls and cuteness. Just one." She sighed. "But that would involve another pregnancy that would probably break me."

"Jacey!" Happy came walking into the kitchen. "Put it down right now. You agreed, no finding food, fatass." He shook his head slowly. "What are we waiting for, Brianna? I'm starving."

"I was waiting for all of the banter to be done with. I'm not hungry but dinner is ready to be served." Bri smiled. "I'm just in this for the buttercream frosting I made."

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "I really came looking for you two because Camryn was asking about you. Kol's trying to fall asleep, he stole the doc from Aleksandr." He shook his head. "Monica is currently planning my demise and she's telling Jax."

"We're in here, I'm whining to Jacey about shit and she's bragging about married life." Bri nodded. "Why, what'd you do to my Monkey, huh Happy?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Go fucking tell my kid that, not me. Be lucky she even asked about your mean ass." He flicked her forehead. "I told her to stop acting grown before I kick her out and she has to be a job and her own house."

"Damn, rude ass bitch." Bri shrugged. "I'll go out there in a minute. I just need to finish off this frosting. If you kick her out, she can just come back home to me."

Jacey shook her head, taking the icing bag from the brunette. "I'm sorry, fatass but he just said _Camryn_ is asking about you. Wondering where you are, wondering. Go get your damn _Cupcake_ and mend up shit, you know my girl barely even looks your way these days." She rolled her eyes. "Go before I shove this up your nose."

 **To be continued next chapter…**

* * *

 **AN** : **I love the holidays and you know I love them so much more when the whole family is together, especially when Brianna and Jacey are on good terms. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and it will be continued next chapter… Promise!**


	64. Holiday Cheer Part Two

**Continued from Chapter 63.**

"Wouldn't be the first time I've had a icing bag up my nose." Bri nodded. "I know who he is talking about." She moved off the stool. "She's just gonna yell at me and give me sass about me being such a fucked up B.B. Excuse me as I slowly walk to my tongue lashing." She opened the kitchen door and walked out, entering the family room. "I hear you're looking for me Cam."

The little blonde looked back from the television and nodded her head before she jumped up and ran to the brunette, jumping in her arms. "I just wanted to tell you that I like your Christmas tree and the other decorations." She murmured as she hugged Bri's neck.

Bri smiled as she hugged the blonde back and kissed her forehead. "Yeah? I worked hard on it. Javi helped me pick out some of the decorations. How is your day going? Did you get everything you wanted?"

"They're pretty. It's going good, I got everything except for the baby. I want her to get here already but mama said it's not time and she's stubborn." The little blonde nodded her head as she pushed her curls out of her face. "Did you get everything you wanted?"

"She'll come when she wants to, just like you and your brother did." She smiled and nodded. "I got most of what I wanted. So I can't complain at all."

Camryn rested her forehead against Bri's and sighed. "What didn't you get, B? Maybe I can get mama to talk to Santa for you. She'll do it, mama loves you." She pulled to kiss Bri's forehead before going back to her resting place.

"I really, really, really, really wanted an all white Rolls Royce but I didn't get it. No big deal though since I already have a car. I also didn't get the Malibu Barbie doll that I asked for." She smiled. "It's no big deal, always next year. You smell good."

The blonde shook her head. "Are you sure? I can talk to mama… Her and Santa are real close, they talk all the time, B.B." She smiled and shrugged. "I take lots of baths. Do you take showers? I don't know how I feel about them yet. They're weird."

"I'm sure." Bri nodded. "I take baths and showers. I take showers when I'm really tired and just want to get clean quickly. I take baths when I just want to soak in the tub for an hour."

Camryn furrowed her brow. "I don't know if I can approve of that right now or not. Mama says that I'll get used to showers. I don't know though… I miss hugging you. I'm sorry I stopped."

"Showers aren't for everyone. Javi still likes his bath times with his toy boats." Bri laughed. "Caught your uncle Jax enjoying bubble baths a few times… I miss this too. I'm sorry I was a bad aunt B to you C.C."

She shook her head. "I don't know about that… I like bubble baths too. Not with ugly uncle Jackie though. He's a meanie." She shrugged. "You weren't a bad aunt B, you didn't come to my art show though."

"What did meanie uncle Jax do this time?" Bri nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't go to your art show. I'll go to all the upcoming ones though baby."

Camryn nodded her head. "He stole my coloring book and hid it! But that's ok, I stole his phone and his keys, he can't get calls from those annoying guys he hangs out with and he can't leave. I'm sorry if you want him to leave. I also hid his beer from him." She kissed Bri's nose. "I'll forgive you if you sit by me at the dinner table."

"I don't want him to leave so it's fine." She smiled. "I'll happily sit next to you at the table."

She smiled and nodded. "Me either. I heard mama say that he needs to stop leaving so much… Why does he leave so much? Does he not like being at home?"

"He leaves because he has to deal with business." Bri shook her head. "He loves being at home. All he does is cuddle and play when he's home. It's his favorite."

Camryn nodded her head slowly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Yes you can tell me a secret." Bri nodded her head slowly. "You can always tell me anything."

She nodded again as she pulled away and looked back at Javier. "I got Javier a Christmas present, I know we broke up but I wanted to. I got him a dinosaur farm that I saw in Toys R Us, a huge tower of peanut M&M's and picture I painted for him. But I put mama's name on it."

"He got you presents too. I don't think you two actually broke up. You two just haven't seen each other." Bri smiled. "I think it's cute that you still care about Javi Baby."

Camryn nodded her head. "I still love him, I still say he's my best friend when people ask." She sighed heavily. "We did break up, he won't even look at me. Unless he just doesn't like my outfit… I didn't wanna wear a dress, they're annoying."

"Nah, he's just shy. It's stupid sometimes boys can't look at the girl they like because it makes them blush and forget how to talk." Bri chuckled. "They also sometimes say dumb stuff. I like your dress but next time put your foot down and tell your parents you wanna pick your own outfit."

She shook her head. "Boys are weird. I like this dress but I didn't wanna wear tonight. It's pretty and mama said I look perfect." She smiled at Bri. "I love her, she's the best huh?"

"You do look perfect." The brunette nodded. "I agree, she is the absolute best."

Camryn smiled and kissed Bri's forehead. "You're the best too, B. You're my favorite aunt, just don't tell Nik. She'd cry."

"I love you so much." Bri kissed the blonde's forehead and smiled. "I won't tell her. I promise."

The blonde sighed and smiled. "You make me smile really big, I don't know why but I like it." She laid her head on Bri's shoulder. "Look Iggy! I got B!"

"Smiling is good." The brunette smiled at Igor. "I got my C.C!"

Igor chuckled as he eyed the pair. "I'm very glad, you two need each other. It makes your lives much better." He took a swig of his scotch and nodded. "I need to speak with you later, Brianna. Privately."

"Oh lord. Am I in trouble?" Bri shook her head. "You hit me with a Brianna. I will make time to speak with you though Igor, my love."

Frey popped up behind Bri, grinning. "Maybe he's gonna beat your ass for being mean to his child for so many months." He muttered to her. "Merry Christmas, Bri. Hi Cami." He kissed the little blonde's cheek.

"Language." Bri turned around and looked at Frey. "Maybe he's gonna finally confess to me that he misses living in the Fortress and that him and my C.C are going to move in with me! Merry Christmas though Frey. Where's your flavor of the week?"

He rolled his eyes. "Which would you like? Not preferring my English?" He smirked at her. "I doubt that, they love their rooms and Cato. She's probably in the kitchen, making her way through the hot wings." He smirked at her.

"Ok, Jacey is not your flavor of the week." The brunette pulled the man's hair. "I would love it if you spoke Swedish or Viking to me. You know how much I used to love that. Did I tell you how he left me Camryn? He was my best friend when I first met him."

Frey shook his head. "You right, she's not and its so depressing. I don't have a flavor of the week. I've been too busy with Kol so I haven't been out to search." He smiled. "Camryn, I did not leave her. She's just dramatic." He whispered to Camryn in Swedish and watched her smile. "Honest."

"I'm a bit dramatic but it's true, you never come over and use my garage anymore." Bri shrugged. "We always used to have our late night talks and arguments. Now I get nothing but an occasional text and a hi." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I also asked Santa to make me less dramatic C, but that hasn't been gifted to me either!"

Camryn flicked Bri's forehead and smiled. "No more drama, B! I'll make sure he comes over more, if you make sure we get more puppies like Cato!"

"Have you not seen my dad's dog? Have you not seen the other four puppies around here or has Nik and Spencer been hogging them all?" Bri smirked. "There's five dogs around here plus Monster is probably lazing around the backyard. He's getting up in age so he doesn't like dealing with me or my dramatics. For you I will try not to be dramatic."

The blonde shook her head. "They're not pits, B. We want pits! Me and Kola. Only pits."

"A pit?" Bri smiled as she looked at Camryn before moving towards her office. "You want a pit for you and Kol?" She opened the door and walked in before closing it. "Why don't you go check on the side of my desk babe."

The blonde jumped to her feet and slowly moved toward the desk before she gasped, dropping to the floor by the small crate. "You got a puppy!? A pit puppy?" She smiled back at Bri, her dimples on full display. "I love 'em, so so pretty!"

"Well, merry Christmas C.C. It's yours." Bri grinned at the little blonde. "Well, yours and Kol's. I couldn't keep the puppy a secret anymore! I was dying!"

Camryn looked back at her aunt, her brow furrowed as she stared at her. "What? You got us a puppy? But what about the baby? Babies can't have puppies… Puppy could eat my baby then it'd be sad, B! I'd be sad and mama would be sad and I don't know about daddy because he's a 'clues… Whatever that is. Mama says it. Mama would be sad, did I say that already? I don't know!"

"The puppy will stay here then and you can visit him." Bri ran her fingers over Camryn's eyebrows. "It's ok. The baby is safe, no one will be sad. Alright?"

Camryn shook her head. "But how can the puppy get to know us and watch movies with us and cuddle with us if he's here? Oh B! This is such a crisis." She groaned as she covered her face. "This is so difficult. I don't know what to do… I can't handle all these decisions."

"How about you take the puppy until the baby gets here, so you can cuddle him and watch movies with him, train him. All the fun stuff and when the baby is here, he can stay over here if you're worried about him trying to eat your sister." Bri shook her head. "We'll work this out together. I promise babe."

Camryn picked up the puppy and moved towards Bri. "I like her, she's chunky. Can we show everybody?" She kissed the puppy's head before kissing Bri's nose. "I love her and I love you, B. Thank you for the puppy, I dunno what I'll name her."

"Yes, you can show everybody." Bri nodded and smiled. "I love you too. I'm happy you love her. I'm sure you'll think of a really cool name soon."

The blonde sighed as she rubbed the puppy's head. "Have you ever had such a good day that you dunno what to do?"

"Yeah, I'm having one right now." The brunette smiled. "I got my C.C, she's happy, it's an amazing day and half of me wants to run around screaming and the other half is so happy that I wanna sit back and enjoy it."

Camryn shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what to do. I'm just so happy right now, B."

"Just sit back and take it all in." Bri hugged her niece and grinned. "Let's show your brother and see if we can't make him less grumpy. If he's even still awake."

The blonde shook her head. "He hasn't gotten cuddles from daddy. Do you know how bad a day is without daddy's cuddles?" She shrugged. "It's because him and daddy broke up."

"Why did they break up? Over the no cuddles thing?" Bri sighed. "Those two are a mess, I swear. I go every day without cuddles from your dad. Maybe that's why I'm so grumpy!"

Camryn shrugged again. "Because dad stole mama from Kol so Kol dumped him." She gasped and nodded her head. "Go cuddle him, bet you'll be even happier."

"He stole her? Oh jesus." She shook her head. "It's not nice to steal. I'll go cuddle him after dinner. Then I'll go to sleep happy!"

The blonde moved to Aleksandr and smiled. "Look Papa! PAPA! ALEKSANDR!" She glared at the man as she started to murmur in Russian. "I gotta puppy, it's a girl."

"What are you glaring at me for my dear?" Aleksandr lifted up Camryn and smiled as he eyed the puppy carefully. "That is a gorgeous puppy. Almost as gorgeous as you. What's her name, huh?"

She shrugged. "Because it got your attention and mama said to do if I need to get your attention. She was right." She smiled as she kissed his cheek. "I don't know what to name her. I can't think, where's Kola?"

"Well, I'm happy I'm easily figured out." He smirked. "He is right over there, curled up with my lady. He won't give her back."

Camryn looked back and shook her head. "I don't know her, what's her name?"

"Sariya. She's the family doctor. Helped deliver most of you children." He smiled. "You can call her Sari or if it's easier call her Petra. That's what Bri does."

Camryn shook her head. "Sariya." She murmured and smiled. "Is she gonna be my grandma though? Are you going to marry her? Can I be the flower girl? I'll just walk you down the aisle."

"I might marry her." He nodded slowly and smiled. "I'm in love with her. So if we do get married, you're for sure the flower girl."

The blonde nodded her head. "You're cute when you're happy, Papa. I like you better when you're smiley, not frowny and glaring. It's great."

"I'm very happy." He grinned widely. "You wanna help me look at rings for her in the future?"

Camryn nodded eagerly. "Yes! Yes! Yes! We never do stuff together except cuddle so yes! I wanna spend more time with you, ok? Starting today."

"That sounds perfect to me. More time with my Camryn." Aleksandr kissed her forehead. "You and I should have a dinner night once a week. We'll go to new places together. It could be fun. I also tried a painting class but they messed up when they gave us glasses of wine, so we were drinking and trying to paint the sunset. It was a mess."

The blonde smiled and nodded her head. "I'll teach you how to paint sunsets, Papa. Don't worry, you'll be a good painter like Iggy in no time."

"I watched Iggy paint a woman with melted chocolate one time." He chuckled. "It was fantastic."

Camryn rolled her eyes. "He is a slut. So is my Frey. Sluts. They're whores, Papa. Iggy had some girl sleepover last night."

"What!? He did? Did you meet her?" He shook his head. "They need to settle down and find serious women."

The blonde shook her head. "Nope, I told her to ask my mama if she can be there. But I don't think that slut did. Iggy! Stop being a whore." She stuck her tongue out at the man.

"Watch your mouth, Camryn." Igor shook his head as he sat down beside Aleksandr. "What are you telling this old man?"

"That you're a whore." Aleksandr smirked at Igor. "I'm glad she's telling me that."

Igor gasped. "You're telling him that, Cam? Oh no, how could you?!"

"Because it's true and you always say to be honest." Camryn nodded her head eagerly as she smiled at the man.

"Exactly Igor, practice what you preach." He nodded. "It's ok, we know you'll settle down with a nice woman eventually."

Camryn shook her head. "I don't approve, no woman! You don't need one, Iggy."

"Tell him to be celibate." Aleksandr smirked. "It'll be good for him. It'll help him be an even better friend to you."

The blonde shrugged. "What's celery? Or whatever you said."

"Means no kissing and hugging on women. He has to wait until he's married to do so." Aleksandr nodded. "It could be a good challenge for him."

Igor shook his head. "I don't think so. I like hugging women, it's nice." He smiled at Camryn as he pulled her into his arms. "Don't let him talk you into that. Do you want to be celibate?"

"Camryn doesn't need to be celibate, she's better behaved than you are." Aleksandr shook his head. "She also needs to come back to me because I wasn't finished hugging her just yet. Igor, taking kids from me will get your hands popped, just for future reference."

Camryn kissed Igor's cheek before hugging his neck. "You always have my hugs and kisses and cuddles, Iggy." She moved back to Aleksandr, setting the all white puppy on the man's shoulder. "Stay, puppy."

"Yes, good puppy, stay." Aleksandr smiled. "I love my Camryn time. I still have presents to give you after dinner."

The blonde shook her head. "You got me presents? How'd you know I've been a good girl this year?" She smiled at the man, resting her forehead against his.

"I check in on everyone. I know when you're being good or bad. I also ask your parents." He smiled. "I've got a whole lot of presents for you. I think you deserve them all."

Camryn shrugged her shoulders. "Papa, it's be a long year. I don't deserve them all, I got into a fight at school. I got suspended too."

"I'm aware." He nodded slowly. "I heard you were defending yourself, some little girl was messing with you. You're always supposed to defend yourself."

"Taught my girl just right." Jacey smiled at her dad as she ran a hand over the blonde's head. "How did Bri escape her love and how do you get her?"

"She got a puppy and wanted to show her Papa." He flicked Jacey's nose. "No, no. Camryn don't always follow after your mom. She did after all punch her best friend in the face."

Camryn flicked Aleksandr's nose. "Don't abuse my mama. She's not available to fight back right now. Daddy said no fights." She smiled. "Why'd she punch her best friend?"

"They ran into each other and spilled coffee. I think she just punched Bri because she didn't like the accent!" He chuckled. "I wasn't abusing your mom either. I was teasing her. She'd still punch me if she wanted to."

Jacey flicked her dad's nose. "Why do you think I'm so abusive? I'm angelic, where do you think my baby girls get it from? Cami's perfection and I'm still cooking the other cupcake to perfection."

"It's not from me." He shook his head. "I'm not even abusive at all. I haven't pulled my belt out in weeks."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Lie again. You pulled it out the other day when you came over to visit with the babies and you got a naked Kol who threw his clothes at you. He loves testing you so much." She smiled.

"I mean, that doesn't count, it's Kol. My belt is always in arms reach when he's around." He smirked. "Sometimes I just want to chase him though. Get my workout in without it feeling like a workout."

Jacey groaned. "Stop it now, you have got to quit with that damn belt. I'm going to steal it one day and destroy it. You wait and see." She smiled at him. "Hate that damn belt."

"I have six of the same belt." He chuckled. "Why do you think it just always seems to be around no matter where I am?"

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Stop underestimating me… Remember who's kid I am at the end of the day." She kissed the man's cheek. "Come on, dinner's ready and Elijah's finally here."

"Ew, Elijah." He chuckled. "He's a little bit annoying but don't tell him I said that. He's my best friend so I can say that."

The blonde shook her head. "I'm about to tell him right now, you wait. If you get dumped tonight by Elijah, don't come crying to anyone. He's not even annoying, he's been hiding out."

"I'm aware Jacey. I know everything that man does. He's my best friend." He shrugged. "Or did you forget that!? Huh!?"

Camryn covered Aleksandr's mouth with her tiny hands. "You're getting loud and ratchet, Papa. Hush."

"Haaa, I have zero doubts that she is my girl." Jacey grinned at the man. "Bri! She called dad ratchet!"

"He is ratchet!" Bri nodded. "Everyone though, come sit down, dinner is served, everyone is here."

Kol wrapped his arms around Bri's legs, sitting down on her feet. "Katarz-whatever my new best friend said, I want hugs and kisses."

"Katarzyna?" Bri looked down and smiled at Kol. "Hi my love. You're looking handsome in your outfit. I'm surprised you haven't gotten naked just yet."

He shook his head. "I don't think so, woman. Papa's got that belt so I have to stay clothed… He said so." He rolled his eyes. "Fat head."

"Oh, he is a fat head. You want to sit next to me and Camryn at the table?" She grinned as she lifted him up. "Papa is old, he'll probably fall asleep after dinner and presents, then you can run around as naked as a newborn baby."

Kol shook his head. "I'm sitting beside Anthony so I can keep an eye on him. He keeps touching my other woman." He shrugged. "Papa is old! Papa is old!"

"Who's your other woman? Nikola?" Bri shook her head and shrugged. "Alright, sit where you can watch him at."

He nodded slowly. "I saw him touching her butt and I do not approve one bit. That thirsty hoe." He rolled his eyes. "Isn't that what you call those girls at the clubhouse?"

"He touched my sister's butt? I will hit him." She nodded. "Yup, that's what we call them."

Kol looked back, his icy gaze finding Anthony across the table. "Ant! You're a thirsty hoe. My Katarz-starship agrees."

"Katarz-starship needs to be nice." Aleksandr laughed. "I'm so glad you finally got her name right Kol! It's a pretty name huh!?"

Kol shook his head. "Ant's a thirsty hoe, thirsty thirsty thirsty. No, it's ugly. I don't like it. Why'd you name her that, Papa?"

"I thought it was pretty." He shook his head. "I didn't know it was ugly. Maybe that's why everyone calls her Brianna."

Jacey shook her head. "Katarzyna is the go to name when she's in trouble, Kol Lowman. Call her Katarzyna when she's in trouble and you want her attention." She smiled. "Babe, these wings are so wonderful."

"I'm glad you love the wings. I worked hard to get them right." Bri smiled at Jacey. "There's enough so you can take some home."

Kol covered Bri's mouth. "Noooo, if she has anymore wings, Frey said she'd be shitting fire." He shook his head. "No more wings for mama, I don't want her on fire."

"Kol!" Jacey shook her head as she covered her face. "Jesus help me."

Nik laughed and shook her head. "Oh, my. I don't want her on fire either Kol!"

Kol shrugged his shoulders. "What? That's what Frey said. She'd be a backwards dragon, she'd light the house on fire. I don't want that happening."

"Kol, sit down and wait for Mama Dragon to fix your plate." Happy smirked at the boy as he shook his head. "Jesus, son."

"I love him so much." Monica shook her head. "Frey needs to keep speaking his mind in front of Kol."

Jacey shook her head. "I can't wait til I have this baby so I can beat to everliving shit out of that man." She sighed as she leaned toward Nik. "Happy put this cupcake on my plate, do you want it?"

"I do not want it. I've already have six cupcakes." Nik chuckled. "I'm trying to keep my figure, no one told me having two kids was this hard on my body."

The blonde shrugged. "I love your figure, you tiny ass little thing. Also, your little boyfriend over there is out to get Anthony because he saw him grab your ass. Fair warning for whatever that Happy Jr demon does."

"Kol doesn't have to get upset, I will let him grab my butt if he wants to." Nik smiled.

"Nik should shut up, are you aware she's a size double zero Jacey?" Bri rolled her eyes. "She can hula hoop with a cheerio if she wanted to."

Jacey scoffed. "Bitch, bye. _Watch my figure_. Try again, double zero ass. I don't even care, skinny ass…" She shook her head. "I don't know how the fuck you even maintain that."

"She dances on a pole for exercise." Anthony mumbled. "It's the best exercise routine ever."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "It's official, Nikola is my goal. Fuck whatever I had planned after this baby." She shrugged her shoulders. "Someone have faith in me."

"I have faith in you, work the pole girl. I'll help you set one up in your bedroom." Nik nodded. "It also helps that I'm super young. I'm still swimming through my twenties right now."

Happy covered his face. "It was going so well… Everyone who normally carries weapons, check yourselves." He groaned. "I'm so serious."

"It was a joke!" Nik shook her head. "We all know that Jacey's snap back game is strong. After she had Cam and Kol, you couldn't even tell she had kids. She just got a nicer ass and boobies. It was amazing. If she weren't my sister, I'd bang her."

Igor pointed at Jacey. "You made her pout, what'd you do to her, Bri?" He shook his head as he sat down at the table. "Step away for two minutes and you make her pout."

"I didn't do anything. Nik referred to me and Jacey as old!" Bri shook her head. "Igor get your girl in check man."

Igor shook his head. "Nikola, shame on you. Where are you manners? We raised you better than this." He smirked. "Jacey, you're not old. You're still the psychotic little twenty one year old I had to chase down the street because you wouldn't listen to your dad."

"Um, no one raised me but Viktor." Nik shrugged her shoulders as she shook her head. "You guys intervened after I tried dropping out of high school to focus on being a dancer."

"Ok, no. This is not family conversation." Aleksandr shook his head. "Jacey is fine, she's still enjoying her dinner. Bri knows she's old. So it's all good. Next topic."

Jacey shook her head. "I'm due on National Get High day… Let that soak in."

"We know she's gonna be a few days early." Monica nodded. "She still may end up a pothead though. That'd be cool!"

Happy shook his head. "We're going to the due date for this one, I don't care what that baby thinks."

"Get your tunnel stitched shut just in case." Nik smiled. "It'll work."

Jacey shook her head. "I don't know yet, I might want another one. I'm crazy, don't look at me like that. I love babies."

"No, no. You can get your cervix stitched to prevent early labor." Nik nodded. "I read about it while at Bri's clinic."

The blonde shook her head. "That's a real thing? Seriously? Doc?" She inquired as she looked at Sariya.

"Yes, it's a real thing." Sariya nodded and smiled. "It's a common procedure."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, what do you think the odds of this baby coming early is?"

"I think it's a high chance." She gave a single nod. "I however want to believe she'll be closer to her due date. It'd be ideal if she were late."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Why do you think it's a high chance because of that smart boy I had?"

"Yes." Sariya nodded. "I do hope you take it easy, maybe we can get you on weekly appointments, just to be on the safe side, so if you show signs of early labor, we can pop a stitch in and put you on _strict_ bed rest."

Jacey started laughing. "Strict bed rest. You're precious, really. What part of me makes you think I'd listen to _that_?"

The brunette smiled. "The part of you that loves your unborn child." Sariya nodded. "Moms do anything for their children, bed rest included. It'll go by fast."

"Food." Creed clapped his hands together as he crawled onto the table. "Mine!"

"No, mine!" Kajsa joined her younger cousin on top of the table. "Not yours Creed! _Mine_."

"God." Bri shook her head as she picked up Creed off the table, only to end up letting him go as she felt him kick her. "It's not Christmas with this family until someone is bleeding."

"Babe." Nik moved to her sister and shook her head. "I guess he really is Jacey's child after all."

"Let's get you some ice." Sariya stood up and moved to the brunette, wrapping her arm around her shoulders protectively. "You'll be fine, I promise."

"Let's keep eating." Aleksandr nodded and smiled. "Bri is in capable hands."

"Dad is right, keep everything going." Bri nodded as she tilted her head back. "We'll have dessert then open some more gifts."

* * *

 **Well that was that. Just some more fluff before things actually start to get serious and Bri gets up to her ridiculous antics with her sisters lol. if you enjoyed it please let me know.**


	65. Sticky

**December 26, 2014**

"That was the most tiresome day ever." Jax yawned as he wrapped his arms around Bri and kissed her neck. "It was nice to have the entire family around. Even your little ex boyfriend Alex who I swear is out to get me."

Bri laughed and shook her head. "Christmas is officially over. It's almost two in the morning. You really think Alex is out to get you? You're ridiculous. You need some help babe." She shrugged her shoulders. "I think you need to realize that he's around because he's my business partner and nothing else. That is all."

"It feels like he's after me." He pulled her tightly to him and shrugged. "I think he's gonna wait for me to fuck up and then he's gonna sneak on in."

"Oh you're a fool." She turned around in his arms and pushed him onto the bed. "I think it's time for us exchange gifts. I'll start first. I'll give you the gift I have for you. Close your eyes and keep them closed until I tell you to open them up."

"Brianna…" He shook his head as he closed his eyes and sighed. "I told you nothing expensive, so it better not be pricey."

"Oh baby, this is going to be the most expensive gift I've ever given you." Bri smirked. "Ok, open your eyes babe…"

Jax opened his eyes slowly, taking in the sight before him as he stood up. "Ok, I love this expensive gift. I love it a lot." He rested his hands on her hips and smiled down at her. "If I would've known you would gift wrap yourself for me, then I would've lifted the expensive gift rule a long time ago."

"Do you know how hard it was to hide this lingerie set so you wouldn't see it?" She slid her hands under his shirt and trailed her nails over his abs. "I want you to know it was even harder to keep this bow on my ass tied."

He turned her around and pulled at the bow before smirking to himself. "I don't know why you bothered to tie that, it's just gonna be ripped off." He grabbed her by the back of the neck and turned them around, bending her over their large bed. "I love it though."

"I figured it be ripped off, I am your present." Bri bit her lip as she looked back at him and nodded slowly. "You gonna open your gift or just stare at it?"

"Open it." He ripped the lingerie from her body and let it fall to the floor before pulling her back against him and thrusting his hips slightly. "I fucking love you. I still think my face would look good tattooed on your back babe…"

"You're a fool." She shook her head as she pressed back against him before feeling his hand back on her neck as he pressed her into the bed. "I love you too, you gonna fuck me or play with me?"

"Play with you, that's what you do with new toys, play with 'em." He gave her ass a playful smack before he flipped her over roughly. "Don't pout babe. You'll get some dick later…"

"I'm not pouting." She looked up at him and shrugged. "You're just being a butthead right now and teasing me terribly."

"I like to play." He shrugged as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it away. "I mean you did gift yourself to me baby and I plan to take full advantage of you." He smirked at her, his eyes trailing over her body before coming to a stop on her face. "You're gorgeous you know that right?" He finished undressing before moving onto the bed and between the brunette's legs. "I can't get enough of you."

"I know." She smirked up at him and nodded. "You know I'm all _yours_ right… I don't know why your sister like testing you and Alex likes to play into her shit."

He shook his head as he trailed his fingers over her thighs. "I don't want to talk about either of them right now. I'm just trying to fuck my wife. Are you sure I can't tempt you into a quick Vegas wedding babe?"

"I'm sure." She grabbed his hands and pulled herself into an upright position. "I just want you to know that I'm set on a big huge and over the top wedding. It's what I've always wanted and I thought about just doing something small or eloping but that's just not how I picture myself getting married anymore. I want the big wedding, I want the elegant dress and the bridesmaids, I want Kajsa to be the flower girl because it's perfect… Look at us, we went from almost fucking to talking about a wedding."

Jax chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the brunette and kissed her lips softly. "It's a strange thing yeah?" He moved his mouth to her neck and sucked on the soft skin. "We're still gonna get it in though. I'm not hard and riled up for just nothing."

"I can't wait for our wedding night, we're gonna fuck everywhere in the hotel. Elevator included." She smirked as she reached between them and started to slowly stroke his cock. "We're not wasting this at all. Nope."

"Hey, at least we won't have to worry about wedding night pregnancy." He smirked back at her. "No more babies for us."

"What? You don't want five more kids with your slutty soon to be wife?" She chuckled as she dropped back onto the bed and wrapped her legs loosely around his waist. "That's so disappointing."

He shrugged. "If we had the chance to try again, I'd want a girl." He shrugged as he rubbed the outside of her thighs before pushing into her with one fluid movement. "Just a little blonde little girl to torment you and your need for brunettes."

"The last thing we need together is a daughter that is both of us." Bri shook her head as she tightened her legs around him. "I love you, now no more talking and let's just fuck."

Jax started to thrust his hips, pinning the brunette's arms above her head as he rested his head on her chest. "I love you too… Whatever you want babe, whatever you want."

"Good, good." She nodded as she pushed against his hands in attempt to break free. "Don't want me clawing up your back again?"

He chuckled as he looked down at her, his pace picking up as he started to slam into the brunette, pushing her into the mattress. "I don't mind the scratching, I however like being in complete control for a bit."

"Then by all means, stay in control." She stopped moving against her hands, her legs wrapping even tighter around his waist as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back as she felt his lips on her neck. "This is so fucking good Jax."

"It's been way too long." He murmured against her skin, his movements picking up speed and force as he raked his teeth over her skin. "Need this way more often babe."

"True, true." She nodded her head slowly as she felt him release her arms. "How many more years until the kids are all moved out and gone? That's when we can get it in more often." She chuckled softly as she writhed underneath the man. "I love you so much."

"You gonna cum for me Brianna?" He asked, his voice low and husky against her ear, his thrusts still powerful as he raised up slightly to look down at her face twisting up in pleasure. "Come on babe, cum for me."

"Yeah." She moaned slightly, feeling her orgasm pool in her lower stomach as her nails dragged over the skin on the man's back. "I'm gonna cum for you babe."

"Good." He moved a hand between their bodies, his thumb finding her clit as he started to trace small circles in attempt to coax a bigger orgasm from the brunette beneath him. "That's it Brianna." He encouraged her. "Let it go babe."

"Fuck…" She moaned loudly, her nails hooking into his back as her body stiffened slightly before shuddering. "Fuck, fuck. So good." She mumbled before her English slurred into broken Russian. "Fuck Jackson."

Jax groaned as he felt the brunette's velvet walls spasm around his member, making his thrusts slow down as he felt his own orgasm slowly beginning to release. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, his tongue licking the smooth skin as he started to spill his seed deep inside her. Enjoying the sensation thoroughly as his breathing became labored and his movements finally slowed to a complete stop. "Fuck Bri, that was amazing."

 **.**

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"The day after is always terrible." Bri mumbled as she stuffed even more wrapping paper into the garbage bag that she had secured in her waistband. "I just don't know what I was thinking. Next year there's no wrapping paper, just gift bags or some shit like that."

"I agree." Jax nodded as he looked up from the twins and creed to eye the brunette carefully. "At least the other two are sleeping in nicely. We only have these three big headed fools to worry about right now."

"Creed, you hear that? Your dad just called you a big headed fool." She chuckled and shook her head as she tied off the bag and grabbed another one. "I don't even think this is the right way to dispose of this shit but whatever. It's all dumb. I hate wrapping paper. I don't wanna see it again until my birthday."

"Fathead." Creed climbed on his dad's shoulders and laughed. "I want to be King."

"Huge aspiration, remember kid, it's never easy being king, take it from me." Jax lifted his son off of his shoulders and set him back onto the floor. "Why don't you be a businessman or better yet become a doctor?"

"King." Creed nodded his head adamantly. "King!"

"Let him have his dream, it could always change in the long run." Bri smiled at the sight before her before turning her attention back to the mess surrounding the Christmas tree. "Maybe next year we can hire a maid to clean this up. Or I can get all of my brats to clean up, Creed will be old enough to understand then."

"Hi mama." Creed moved to his mom, wrapping his arms around her right leg as he stared up at her and smiled. "Hi."

"Hey my golden haired handsome man." She bent over and picked up the toddler, settling him on her hip as she trailed her fingers through his messy hair. "I think it's getting closer and closer to being time for your first hair cut. Or do you want your hair long like your daddy's?"

"Like daddy." He nodded as he rested his head against her body and started to suck on his fist.

Bri nodded and chuckled. "I think you gotta stop hanging out with your baby brothers, you're just a mess with this teething behavior again, does your fist taste good?" She kissed his head and sighed. "Come on, let's keep cleaning up this mess before your Javier wakes up and you can't do anything but follow him around."

"Yummies." He rubbed his tiny fist on her face and giggled. "Yummies mama!"

"I can see that." She kissed his hand and nodded. "Still sticky and coated with that damn syrup. I told you to make sure you clean his hands really well Jax. Not leave him sticky."

"I tried, he wouldn't stay still at all." Jax shrugged. "Let him lick it clean, it won't hurt him. He's a boy."

"I bet if you had a daughter you would've grabbed her and rewashed her hands already." Bri tossed a ball of wrapping paper at the man and shook her head. " _He's a boy_. When he does dumb shit to piss you off when he's older, I'll remember to toss that at you."

"Took that to a whole new level." He tossed the ball back at Bri, smirking as it bounced off her head. "Lighten up babe, I'm not gonna use that fucking excuse for everything. He's a shit head but he's gonna be raised right. Sticky hands are just what kids have."

She cocked an eyebrow at the man and nodded. "Glad you're finally an expert on kids. I can finally rest and let you control everything." She smiled at him. "Love you Jax."

"Love you too." He winked at her before standing up. "How about Creed and I finish the cleaning, you can go do whatever it is that you need to do today."

She shrugged as she let the man take their son. "I don't have anything to do. Work isn't reopening until the fourth. I was just going to clean and possibly start taking down all these decorations. Maybe warm up some leftover ham and make a sandwich."

"If you make one I want one too." Jax kissed her lips and grinned. "Love leftovers. I'll help you with the take down babe. You don't have to do it all yourself, you kinda went overboard with it. Like did you think I wouldn't notice the inflatable Santa and reindeers on the roof?"

"I was hoping you would see it and have a laugh that Santa is in a Sons kutte and the sleigh is a Harley sleigh." She laughed as she patted his cheek. "It was a fun task to request at the inflatable shop. They geeked out over it, I guess one of the kids working there is an aspiring prospect."

"Well, I hope you didn't promise him a spot." He shrugged. "I did think the Santa was pretty awesome, could've just stuck Bobby on top of the house and called it a day. He's a creepy ass Santa wannabe."

Bri shrugged. "I just love the thing. I didn't promise the kid a spot and I don't even think Bobby could get up on the roof. Let's finish up with this cleaning. I want to relax with the family for the rest of the day when Javier and Monica finally wake their lazy asses up."

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for all of the support on the last two chapters. It was very much appreciated! I kept this light and fluffy because things are going to start building up slowly for the family. I'm excited for you all to find out what's in store for them all. So let me know how you liked this chapter.**


	66. Versus

**Thank you all for the support last chapter. It made me happy knowing that you all are loving the story. So I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.**

* * *

 **January 12, 2015**

"Out of all the bars… An Irish pub is what you choose?" Aleksandr shook his head as he looked at the younger men beside him. "There wasn't any regular bars? No dives?"

"No." Yevgeny shook his head as he lifted his glass of whiskey to his lips, taking a long thoughtful sip before meeting the man's gaze. "I don't think there are real Irish people in here. It's one of those pubs for Americans who want to feel like they're in Ireland."

Arseny nodded slowly in agreement with his younger brother. "He's right, I don't think proud Irishmen would step inside of this dump." He shook his head as he reached forward and grabbed the bartender's ass. "Another scotch sweetheart."

"Stop that." Aleksandr smacked Arseny. "You need to behave you can't just grab on them like that."

"I don' mind." The redhead behind the bar smirked at the men. "I'll also have ye know that a lot of _proud Irishmen_ come into this pub." Her accent was pronounced and thick. "Not too many of you dirty Russians stumble in here."

"I love a woman with an accent." Arseny nodded eagerly. "I'll show you just how dirty we can get."

"You're acting like a horny teen." He shook his head. "Let's not get kicked out before I've had a few drinks." He shrugged as he heard the distinct sound of Elijah's voice. "Elijah! Come and join in on this foolishness, Arseny is trying to get kicked out already."

Elijah Nasonov moved toward the trio of men, walking beside his right hand man and best friend, Igor. He reached Aleksandr before looking around the bar. "Have we turned Irish?"

"For the night." Aleksandr chuckled. "It was the only empty spot these two could find."

"I can think of something completely better than being Irish for the night, I'm sure of that." Igor shook his head as he sat down beside Yevgeny. "What are you drinking kid? I'll take whatever he's got."

"Whiskey." Yevgeny smiled as he pushed the bottle to Igor. "Long time no see man."

Igor nodded his head as he picked up the bottle, taking a generous swig of it. "It has been a while. Where have you been hanging out? With the damn Irish?"

"With Anthony and his crew." The young man shrugged. "I thought it'd be a cool place to hang out. I didn't think real Irish people frequented this place."

Elijah shook his head. "Pretty sure they don't, unless they're bored of that shithole country they think is so wonderful."

"Oh what!? Elijah cusses!?" Yevgeny laughed. "Never thought I'd hear that."

Elijah shrugged his shoulders as he sat down beside Igor. "I do, I apologize you haven't heard it before. It's nothing I normally do though."

"I just want to remember this moment." He smirked. "Someone let Elijah off his leash and he's cussing. It's amazing."

Igor shook his head slowly as he took another generous swig from the whiskey bottle. "That'd be the simple fact that he has no worries for a few nights. Let's just say it's a weird weekend for the family."

"You got a babysitter?" Aleksandr smiled at Elijah. "Is that why my Aurelia isn't here having a drink with me? She has an affinity for vodka already."

Igor smirked as he looked at Aleksandr. "No, no, no. She's with her _mom_."

"Oh, Jacey kidnapped the kid." He chuckled. "That's weird."

Elijah shook his head. "No, she didn't kidnap her. She's just keeping her for the weekend. It's a weird situation if that's what you're going for. I need a drink, what's the best drink you have?" He looked at the bartender.

"Finally a looker among the bunch." The young woman smirked. "For you pretty boy? I give you the best scotch."

Igor rolled his eyes. "Oh don't tell me this ugly bastard is going to get the best in the house… You can't be serious." He flashed the bartender a smile. "What will it take to get you drinking with us?"

"I will have a drink with you." She smiled at Igor. "My name is Hallie, if you guys need anything just shout it out."

Igor nodded his head. "Hallie. That's an interesting name. I'm Igor. Tell me something though, are you a real redhead?"

"Yes I am a real redhead." She chuckled. "Been made fun of for all this red hair since I've moved here. Apparently I'm a ginger here."

Elijah smirked as he nodded his head. "Real redheads are apparently rare around here. How about a round of shots for us?"

"Now you're talkin'." She nodded as she started setting out the shot glasses. "Single or doubles?"

Igor cocked an eyebrow at the young woman and shook his head. "You think we look like we enjoy singles?" He smirked at her. "Let's let the boy choose the place more often."

"I just had to ask." Hallie laughed as she filled up the shot glasses. "I'm assuming first round being vodka will be ok for you all."

Elijah nodded his head. "That sounds good, stay close. We might just need you again." He smiled at Hallie briefly before he turned his attention to the front entrance, watching a group of Irishmen walk in.

"The trash is here." Aleksandr shook his head. "Remind me again why we despise the Irish?"

Igor shrugged his shoulders. "Let's start with their shitty collections, end it off with their stupid ass new _Kings_." He slammed his shot glass down. "Or their desperate attempts to be as great as the Russians."

"You know what we're missing here?" Yevgeny smiled at Igor. "Frey, he'd already have egged them on."

Elijah shook his head. "That's exactly why we don't need him here. You can always call him up here, he's just getting his ass handed to him by Jacey. That's always fun for him." He chuckled.

"He needs to stop being slutty in her house." Aleksandr shook his head. "I feel eyes on us boys."

Igor shrugged his shoulders. "The damn girl was leaving when Jacey got home from the studio. But she was a little exposed." He chuckled before he looked back towards the two booths the group of Irishmen were filling. "Shall we introduce ourselves?"

"We shall." The man stood up. "Offer them a round of vodka… I know how much they love that."

Elijah tapped on the bar top. "Fix us up a round for our lovely little green gentlemen back there. Vodka, give it your best." He turned, looking at the two booths of men. He flashed them a smile before looking back at Igor. "Well come on, be friendly Igor."

"Ha, leprechauns." Aleksandr chuckled as shook his head as he started to approach the booths. "I hope you all love vodka… We bought you a round."

Igor moved around Aleksandr, a bottle of vodka in his hand. "A whole round on us, boys! Enjoy, enjoy!" He tried to mimic the Irishmen's accents with a smile on his face.

"Ay, are these Russians muggin' us off?" A burly Irishman shook his head as he took in the tailored suits the men wore. "Dirty suits!"

Elijah looked down at his suit and shrugged. "I thought it was pretty clean and nice… It's very new too." He flashed a smile at the men. "I thought we all looked rather dashing."

"You look stuffy and uncomfortable." The man chuckled. "What are the likes of you doing in the pub?"

Igor shrugged his shoulders. "I'm pretty comfortable. Thanks for the concern though." He smiled at the men. "Trying to figure out what's so great about this shit liquor…"

"The only suits that are on this side of the country belong to that annoying Russian family." A man spoke slowly as he set his beer down and eyed Elijah and Aleksandr carefully. "Galen O'Shay."

Elijah cocked an eyebrow at the man. "Annoying Russian family? You think he's referring to Viktor?" He smirked at Aleksandr.

"The Hohrykovs." Galen shrugged. "The ones that are trying to slowly shut down the Irish gun business."

Igor smirked and shrugged. "Oh, I know of them. Their business is rather big. It's nice. That boss of theirs though, damn son of a bitch."

"Son of a bitch? More like actual bitch. I'm pretty sure there's not a man running that business, they just want us to think that." The man shook his head. "I'm Ian."

Elijah shrugged his shoulder. "Who are we talking about here? That dangerous little firecracker pulling the strings on that whole gun business.

"I don't know her name but she's a gorgeous thing, should be in the kitchen and not trying to run a man's business." Ian rolled his eyes. "Has some gorgeous grey eyes from what I've seen of her in the media overseas."

Igor gasped, covering his mouth. "Oh we know who you're talking about… His eldest daughter! Katarzyna." He nodded his head as he pulled his glock out and pointed it at Ian's head. "What was that about her earlier? Bitch was it?"

"Gentlemen." Galen shook his head as he stood up and moved in front of Ian. "I think we can settle this without weapons. He's right though. A _bitch_ shouldn't be trying to run a business meant for men to handle."

Elijah shook his head. "Might want to watch what you say about his daughters. Things can get real bloody real fast."

"Oh no, let them both keep talking. I want to see just how deep of a hole they can dig themselves." Aleksandr shook his head as he eyed the men carefully. "Maybe if it's deep enough, it'll save us some trouble of having to dig some graves…"

Igor shrugged as he flashed a smirk at Galen. "One wrong comment could end so many things for you… Is this not exciting?"

"You wouldn't kill me." Galen smirked back at Igor. "Ending me could be very bad for the lot of you."

Elijah shrugged. "Can't think of one reason to stop him killing you or your shitshow of men." He nodded as he pulled his glock out and trained it on Ian. "Matter of fact, I wouldn't mind joining him and taking out some dumbass Irishmen." He mocked the man's accent.

"Make a move on me or my men and I'll have someone at his daughter's house in ten minutes." Galen smirked at Elijah. "His daughter is the one who's dating a Son, correct?"

Igor shrugged his shoulders. "Nope, can't say we know anything about a _Son_."

"Alright." Galen nodded as he slowly unbuttoned the sleeves of his suit jacket. "I guess I'm mistaken. I'm sorry about it." He rolled his eyes. "You can actually lower your gun though. I thought Russians liked to go hand to hand."

Elijah shook his head slowly. "Depends on the specific Russian and the mood he's in. But you've pissed me off just a little by running your mouth about things you know nothing about." He trained his gun on Galen's head. "So, you wanna keep talking about his daughter's?"

"No." Galen shook his head as he chuckled and tapped on Elijah's hand. "You gonna pull the trigger or not?"

Elijah turned his gun onto Ian again and trained it on the man's left leg, shooting him in it. "Hospital's about five minutes away." He mumbled in Russian before he put his gun up. "You being killed is not my call. It's his."

"You've made the wrong move." Galen growled. "This isn't going to be left alone."

Igor shrugged his shoulders. "Can't. Fucking. Wait. I'm so excited for our next encounter." He put his gun back in its holster and started speaking to Aleksandr in Russian.

"Our next encounter will not be a pretty one." Aleksandr shook his head as he took a step toward Galen. "I need you to watch your mouth. You don't speak about my daughter or her family. My family. If you ever go near her, we'll have some problems."

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"Out!" Aleksandr boomed as he entered the chapel. "Out right now!" He looked around the table and shook his head. "Am I not speaking English?"

"Are you aware you're in the wrong fucking place?" Jax looked at the man. "What is wrong?"

The man scoffed. "Your little beef with the Irish has turned into them threatening my daughter! I was just at a bar with my friends and I ran into a Galen O'Shay… He knows that you're with Brianna."

"What?" Jax looked up at the man before at Happy as he walked out of the room. "What? How does he know Brianna?"

"I don't know." Aleksandr looked down at the man and shrugged. "He just knew about the family as soon as he saw her and was like your daughter dates a Son right. So I need you to look me in the eye and promise me that nothing will happen to my daughter. I can't chance the Irish hurting her or her kids. I don't want to end up putting a bullet between your eyes if something bad happens to her."

"I'm going to handle it!" Jax smacked the table. "I'm going to take care of this. Nothing is going to happen to Brianna. Galen won't touch her. No one will touch her!"

"She better not be touched, not at all." Aleksandr growled. "Show me you can fucking man up and handle this shit… If you can't, then I don't want my daughter with you. She can't be with someone who can't even keep her or their family safe. I'll let it be known to and if there's one thing my daughter constantly wants, it's my approval. If she doesn't get it then she sure as hell won't continue to waste her time with you! Keep my daughter and her family fucking safe Jax!"

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"Brianna!" Jax shouted as he moved through the dark house, gathering no sense of life as he hurried up the stairs and into the master bedroom to see his fiancee laying across their bed, headphones on as her hand moved across a notebook. "Brianna!" He moved closer to her, trailing his fingers over her lower back as he watched her flip over and kick at him. "Relax, it's just me."

"Jesus Christ." Bri shook her head. "Why would you scare me like that babe, huh? Do you not cherish your balls?"

"You didn't answer when I called your name, now I see it's because you had your headphones on. You should really start locking the doors, it defeats the purpose of an alarm if the door is actually unlocked babe." He looked at her and furrowed his brow. "What are you writing?"

"I'm listening to music… I'm writing out a grocery list." She smiled at him. "What's wrong babe? We have an iron gate, no one is gonna get in or over it." She shook her head. "But since you look worried, I'll start locking all the doors at night."

Jax nodded as he slowly got undressed before laying down next to the brunette. "I guess your dad and the other suits ran into the Irish the club is in business with. Some words were exchanged and they threatened you Brianna. I promised your dad I'd handle it and make sure nothing will happen to you."

"Ha, the Irish take me?" She shook her head and smirked. "I don't think that's a real threat. They aren't that idiotic." The brunette grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together before kissing his knuckles. "I trust you though, to protect me and the kids from any actual threat. I will take this serious, I promise you that much babe."

"Good, because I don't know what'd I do without you." He kissed her and smiled. "I love you. I'll always protect you. That's a promise."

* * *

 **AN: So we have the Russians and Irish bumping into each other. It's one big pissing contest between who thinks they're better than who. We also had some threats thrown around. So let me know what you thought and what you think is going to happen. :)**


	67. Prissy

**January 29, 2015**

"I want you to know that your back looks terrible Jax." Bri ran her fingers over the raised red scratches that criss crossed the man's back as she bit back a smirk. "I don't know who did this to you but she needs her nails filed down."

Jax shook his head and smirked at the brunette before pressing a kiss to her lips. "Yeah, she really does needs her nails filed down." He grabbed her hands and flicked her long nails before shrugging. "I don't mind it though. It's invigorating."

"Ehh." She shrugged as she finished buttoning up her blouse, she had no idea that her lunch time visit to the clubhouse would end up with her and Jax in his old dorm room fucking like bunnies but she couldn't complain about it. It was just the thing she needed to turn her awful morning into an amazing afternoon. "I needed that a _whole_ lot."

"Me too." He pulled her onto his lap and buried his face in her hair. "Now I really don't want to go sit down with the Irish. I wanna follow you home and sleep."

"Let's nap when you get home. I do have to go pick up the babies from my dad and Sariya. I know they've probably drove them insane." Bri hugged him tightly before standing up and adjusting her skirt as she stepped into her heels. "We need more clubhouse hook ups. I don't think we've had too many of these at all."

"Because you hate it here." He pulled his white shirt on before shrugging into his flannel and kutte. "You're too _prissy_ for it."

"It's not that I'm too prissy for it," She rolled her eyes as she waved off his words. "It's not a comfortable environment Jax. You know how you feel when you're out numbered by the Suits? It's like that when I'm here. I feel like everyone just has me on the same level as the sweetbutts and hang arounds. They're literally just waiting for you to get tired of me and move on."

Jax nodded slowly as he pulled the brunette to him and rested his forehead against hers. "I never knew you felt that way Brianna… I really didn't. I just thought it wasn't your scene and that's why you avoided it…"

"I'm not the type to talk too much shit about your _family_ and your favorite place." She shrugged as she ran her thumbs lazily over his knuckles. "I can't blame them for their first impression of me, not at all. It's more of myself being embarrassed of my past actions. Like I was such a slut… Not even a slut. I just really wanted to piss off Juice and have sex at the same time."

"We'll get through it, that was like seven years ago… Can you believe that shit?" He kissed her and chuckled. "Seven years ago, you were just some batshit crazy party girl starting a brawl in my clubhouse, now you're the Queen. I know it's not the kingdom you wanted to rule over but you're stuck with it."

"It's been so long. How'd I have so many damn kids in like seven years? My uterus was just in overtime." She laughed and shook her head. "Batshit crazy though? Is that what you really thought of me? Choose your words wisely Teller."

"Too much sex, not enough protection." He shrugged. "Yeah. I thought you were some batshit crazy friend of Jacey's. Then we got to know each other and my tune changed. I always thought you were gorgeous though." He tucked her hair behind her ears before holding her face in his hands. "I love you."

Bri nodded. "Too think now I run a woman's health clinic where I tell women how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies." She smiled and nodded. "I am a batshit crazy friend of Jacey's. You just weren't ever supposed to know about my crazy side. I'm still a bit bitter over the fact I was like your side piece while you were married to that Wendy chick. I just looked absolutely stupid after I found out you were messing around with me while married and shit."

"Whoa, we went too far back down memory lane, let's walk up it a bit." He shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm also sorry that I wasn't the best at the beginning of the relationship. I appreciate all of the chances and I'm really excited that I get to make you my wife. Even though you didn't run off with me to Vegas!"

"You're an idiot." She shook her head and pulled on his beard. "I love you though. Walk me to my car. I just want to go get my babies then go home, shower and cuddle."

"Yeah, I'll walk you to your car. I do have a question though babe, why Audis? Out of all the other cars, why Audis?" Jax wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulders and pulled her closer to him as they walked out of the room and towards the front of the clubhouse. "They look cool but why not American cars?"

"I honestly don't know why Audis are a thing." She chuckled. "They just look nice, expensive, sporty, goes well with the suit thing. My dad and some other suits do drive different cars at times but we like keeping the Audis in play. Cohesion. Just like you guys pretty much all ride Dynas. It's be a weird sight to see half your club on sports bikes while the other half are on Harleys. We want to look like a unified group."

"Got it." He nodded as they stopped in front of her car and he pulled the door open. "Drive safe babe. I'll see you at home in a few hours. Love you."

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"Your son is a daredevil." Bri smirked at Jax as he walked into their bedroom. "He decided to climb out of his high chair and jump down, resulting into him needing stitches in his forehead because he doesn't understand gravity just yet."

"Is he alright though?" Jax moved to where the brunette was and kissed her. "He doesn't have a concussion or anything."

"Nope, just stitches and a bruised ego." She chuckled. "It's alright though. We'll be having this talk a few more times. He's just a little daredevil and I love him to death. How was the rest of your day with the meetings and shit?"

"Long." He pulled on his sweatpants before rolling into bed. "I'm just glad we're a few steps closer to being a straight earning club."

"That's good babe." Bri nodded as she looked at him and smiled. "I'm proud of the moves that you've been making, although watching you was a bit nerve wracking at times."

"I'm sorry." He chuckled. "I've never really had anyone _this_ close before that wasn't either Jacey, my mom or someone in the club. I appreciate all of the help and support." He pulled her closer to him and kissed the side of her neck before smirking. "At least you missed this hickey."

"Don't be a butthead, I didn't miss it. I decided to embrace my inner teenager and just leave it there. Since you wanted to act fifteen and leave behind marks anyways." She laughed. "You're such a mess, I love you babe."

 **Feb 5, 2015**

"What is happening right now?" Jax groaned as he walked into the kitchen to see Brianna putting out a fire. "You're telling me you don't know how to make toast."

"Shut up." Bri smiled at the man and shook her head. "I know how to make toast. The toaster decided it forgot how to do it's only job and burst into flames. This wasn't user error, this was machine malfunction."

He laughed as he moved to her and rested his head on her shoulder. "Well done toast huh?" He shook his head. "I love you. You could just toss the toast in the oven or something. That's what my mom did before we invested in a toaster. Does the same thing."

"I know." She turned around and looked at him. "I just was lazy and wanted it all done quicker. I have a fever and my stomach is nauseous, I just wanted toast and seltzer water. That's all I came down here for."

"You're getting sick again?" He shook his head as he moved away from her and grabbed the loaf of bread. "I'll fix you the toast."

"No, I'm not sick. It's nerves babe. I have that meeting with the medical board, I'm trying to get reinstated as a surgeon. A nonpracticing surgeon for the time being. I just don't want all the years of schooling I did to go to waste. I'd still love to be Dr. Brianna Hohrykova then we can tack the Teller name onto it. Dr. Brianna Teller. That sounds even whiter than my name."

"Well I hate to break the news to you babe but you're a white girl." He laughed as he passed her a bottle of seltzer. "I'll baby you this one time, next time I won't let it slide, I'll have to ask you to woman up and get over your nerves."

"Don't be a dickhead." She smirked as she pulled his hair. "I don't think you've babied me a day in our whole relationship. You've also been a meanie face and never wanna love on me or spoil me with breakfast in bed or dinner! I should dump you right now! Not even walk down the aisle with you. You should fucking take me to dinner every single night and wear a suit every fucking time babe! I deserve that much at least."

"Whoa!" Jax shook his head. "This just jumped up sixteen levels. I'm pretty sure I've babied you one or two times."

"One or two times." She scoffed. "I wanna be babied all of the time Jackson! Ugh! Come on, make me some avocado toast please. There are fresh ones right there."

"Brianna…" He bit back a smirk as he reached for an avocado. "I'm only doing this because I love you and not because you told me to do it. I'm being a good fiance."

"Damn straight." She squeezed his ass. "My man is cooking. Well, not quite but still. I love it. So fucking sexy."

"Is this a thing between us?" He looked at her and shook his head. "You just gonna objectify me like this?"

"Yes I am." She smacked his ass. "Sexy ass thing in the kitchen, cooking and looking delicious. I'll have you for dessert."

"I guess you are." he laughed as he set the toast on a plate before adding the avocado. "Is this what you think I do to you when you're in the kitchen?"

"No." She shook her head as she laughed. "I'm just objectifying you to let you know how it feels to be a woman in this world. I even get objectified when I'm fucking grocery shopping. Don't you fucking dare say it's because of the way I dress either because it still happens when I'm in sweats and one of your shirts."

"Well, I'll have to kill some people." He pushed the plate to her and smiled. "I love when you wear my shirts though. It's a lovely sight."

"How's that Irish situation?" Bri squeezed a lime over the toast and studied the man carefully. "Still worried that their threat to snatch me will happen?"

"No, I think if they were going to snatch you they would've already." He shrugged his shoulders. "It'll be fine though. They've pretty much left town, so it's no worries at all."

"Oh lovely. I don't know why you guys have a Belfast charter. It's weird… Like Irish? Come on." She shook her head and smirked. "They don't even really have their own guns, they just hock the Russian models."

"The fact you know guns is always lost on me." Jax smiled. "It just slips my mind since you never really bring up your family history or the armory unless you absolutely need to."

Bri shrugged as she pushed her plate aside and looked at the man carefully. "I don't talk about it because it's weird as fuck. Like my family is just so dysfunctional. I don't want to relive most parts. I don't talk about the armory because it's kinda boring. I just like listening to you these days. I love that you've opened up."

"You can talk about the dysfunction, you know all about mine." He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "I would love to hear you open up about it all."

"Alright, remember you said that when one night I come home and tell you about Viktor the Terrible." Bri smirked. "Come on though, take off your shirt, I'm trying to see those nipples though. Show me that body sexy. Let me see what you're working with!"

"Please don't." Aleksandr walked into the kitchen and shook his head. "I don't want to lose my appetite. I hope you don't mind, I let myself in."

"Not at all." Jax shook his head. "What brings you over here?"

The man shrugged. "Just stopping in to check on things. Make sure my daughter is still here and isn't missing."

"Stop it." Bri smacked her dad's arm. "I'm safe, he wouldn't let anything happen to me so stop trying to give him shit. He's got this dad."

Aleksandr nodded. "Ok, ok. I'll leave it alone." He smiled as he pulled his daughter into a hug. "I'll stop worrying since it's all good. We tracked those Irishmen to the airport and got word they touched back down in Belfast."

"Good, good." Jax nodded and smiled. "I'm glad everything is handled. I'll still be keeping eyes on her though. Not going to let you down man."

"Aw, look at you two bonding and stuff." Bri chuckled. "I'm pretty sure if anyone was to ever kidnap me, they'd bring my ass back after figuring out how _prissy_ I am."

"That or they'll slit your throat and toss you in a ditch." Aleksandr smirked at his daughter. "That statement comes from a place of love. I love you to death Brianna. Take it as a joke and laugh it off, don't cry."

"I'm not gonna cry." She rolled her yes. "I don't even wanna hear it. I'm maturing, I can take the jokes and shit now. Thank you very much dad."

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 **AN: thank you, thank you for the continued support, I can't wait for you guys to see the Matriarch Bri in action, _very_ soon. ;)**


	68. Trash

**February 14, 2015**

"Sorry that our birthday plans for you fell through." Jax wrapped his arms tightly around Brianna as she wiped her face free of her makeup. "I know you were looking forward to having a few days together and being on a vacation."

"It's good." Bri nodded slowly as she smiled at their reflection in the mirror. "I got a niece. She is never going to let me have my birthday again but I'm good with handing it over to her."

"You sure?" He kissed her neck as he started to push her leggings down her legs. "We can have a make up trip in a few days. I'll reschedule and rebook everything."

She nodded as she pushed back against him, the feeling of his hand inside of her panties sending a shudder throughout her body as her hands gripped the edge of the counter. "I would love a rain check on everything you had planned."

"Good." He murmured against the soft skin of her neck as he moved his hand back and forth over her womanhood before he pulled his hand free and quickly pushed the flimsy lace panties down her shapely legs. "I need you so damn much…"

"You were looking forward to having sex in the hotel huh?" She shook her head as she stepped out of her leggings and panties before lifting herself up onto the sink and pulling Jax towards her. "I'm not stopping you babe, take what you need."

"Good." He pressed his kiss to hers, his hands on her thighs as he deepened the kiss, his tongue pushing into her mouth. "Great."

"Baby…" The word escaped her swollen lips in a breath filled moan as she tangled her hands in his hair, pulling him back in for another passionate kiss. "Love you so much babe."

"Love you too…" He murmured against her lips before tracing them with the tip of his tongue. "Still need you so damn bad." He took a step back, his eyes drinking in the brunette hungrily as he rid himself of his clothes, his hand falling down his body as he gave his hard member a few lazy strokes. "You drive me _insane_."

"Don't mean to…" She whispered softly, watching the man as he moved back towards her and grabbed her legs. "I'm glad I still get you going, it'd be a real shame if our sexual chemistry died out Jax."

"Yeah." He nodded slowly as he brought two fingers to his mouth, licking them before moving them to the brunette's center, trailing them slowly through her slick folds. "Soaked already, what has you so damn excited, huh Brianna?"

"You." She moaned softly, relishing in the sensation of his thumb rubbing over her bundle of nerves. "Are you just gonna keep playing with me baby?"

"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders as he pushed two fingers into her, sliding them in and out slowly as he looked down at the brunette and smirked. "Maybe I want you to cum for me like this first."

"Yeah?" She let out a content sigh, her head nodding slowly as she wrapped her hands around his wrist. "I'm perfectly fine with that, just don't tease me too badly baby."

"No teasing." He shook his head, his motions continuing as he studied the brunette's face carefully, smiling to himself as her face twisted into pleasure. "It'll be rewarding… I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that." She mumbled as she released his hands as she felt the orgasm start to build. "I'll kill you if you don't let me cum Jax…" She shook her head, her hips moving slightly to meet his thrusting fingers. "Fuck."

"You love that?" He looked down at her before dropping his head to her neck, his lips sucking on the soft skin roughly. "Cum for me then Brianna… Now."

"So much." She let out a low moan as her body tensed up slightly, a jolt of pleasure pulsing through her body before leaving as a quick shudder. "Fuck, fuck, that's so fucking good baby."

"Yeah." He smirked as he started to kiss his way down the side of her neck before pausing to withdraw his fingers from her. "You know your moans are sexy as hell right?" He brought his fingers to her lips, letting out a low groan as she licked and sucked his fingers clean. "You're perfect I swear."

"Love you." She kissed his lips and smiled at him. "You gonna give me more or are you done?"

"Far from done." He lifted the brunette off of the sink and tossed her easily over his shoulders, his hand landing soundly on her ass a few times as he moved into their bedroom and tossed her onto the large bed. "It's my turn to get off now."

Bri licked her lips, taking in the man's naked form as he moved onto the bed slowly. "You're being mean, you're torturing the both of us right now babe."

"Not even." He turned the brunette over onto her stomach and shrugged, his fingertips tracing over the large tattoo that covered her back. The one he still had a love-hate relationship with. "You're the one squirming and whining. I'm enjoying every single minute of this." He smirked as he grabbed her hips and brought her up onto her hands and knees. "I'm having fun playing with you on _your_ birthday but it is my _Valentine's Day_."

"Jerk." She mumbled as she pushed back against him, a loud moan falling from her red lips as she felt him slip into her. "Fuck… Happy birthday to me."

He chuckled as he squeezed her hips, starting an aggressive pace as he relished the feeling of her velvet walls around him. "Yeah, happy birthday to you." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck before tangling a hand into her hair, yanking it roughly as he began slamming into the brunette, keeping complete control over her as he watched her hands start to grab at the sheets. "You love that huh?"

"Yes…" She shuddered, her hands fisting the sheets. "I love it so much."

"Good…" He murmured as he pounded into the brunette, eager to get to his own release as he watched her skin flush pink, droplets of sweat forming on the smooth skin. "So fucking perfect." He groaned as he released the brunette's hair.

"Jax!" Brianna called out, feeling another orgasm roll over her, catching her by surprise at how quickly it happened. "Shit, Jackson."

"You're the one making a mess." He shook his head as he continued his pace, slamming mercilessly into the brunette as he felt his own orgasm begin to pulse through him. "Shit…" He let out a guttural moan as he released his seed into the brunette before collapsing on top of her, not bothering to roll off. "Happy birthday babe.

 **February 17, 2015**

"Creed what are you doing?" Jax shook his head as he lifted his son from the floor and shut the door of the refrigerator. "You trying to swipe your big brother's yogurt again?"

"No." Creed shook his head as he smirked at the man. "My yogurt."

"It's not yours." He shook his head as he sat the boy on the counter and smiled. "Your yogurt is the one in the little pouches. I'll get you one, do not move."

"Ok." Creed nodded his head as he watched his dad. "Blue. I want blue."

Jax nodded as he looked through the box before pulling out a blue yogurt. "I don't know what your mom feeds you but I guess it's healthy if she buys it for you kid."

"Jax!" Kajsa shouted as she ran into the kitchen and straight to the man. "Hi!"

"Hey." He smiled down at the toddler before picking her up and setting her on the counter next to Creed. "You want a yogurt to Kajsa?"

"Yes I do." She nodded as she kissed Creed's cheek. "Hi Creed."

"Hi." Creed smiled at her. "Pretty girl."

"Don't let him try to flirt with his cousin." Bri shook her head.

"They're not blood, they could get together." Jax shrugged as he passed Kajsa a yogurt and smirked at Bri. "What?"

"You're living up to this white trash stereotype that everyone has about people from Charming." The brunette rolled her eyes. "He's not stealing his cousin from his other cousin. Kol and Creed are blood. They also happen to be like best friends or something."

"Where's my Kol?" Kajsa looked between the pair before turning her attention onto Creed. "I like your hair."

Creed touched his hair and smiled. "It's soft." He reached over and touched Kajsa's hair and laughed. "Pretty hair."

"He's a man of few words." Bri smiled as she put both toddlers on the floor. "Go find Javier. I gotta yell at Jax."

"No yelling B." Kajsa shook her head. "Be nice!"

"Yeah B, be nice." Jax smirked at the brunette. "Plus, they're kids. It's cute right now. Look at 'em. Go put flowers in his hair instead K. He may not always have that pretty hair. There's lots of flowers outside and in here too."

"I'm nice." She watched the kids walk out of the kitchen before she smacked Jax's arm. "You're terrible, that's terrible."

"Abusive." He shook his head as he rubbed his arm. "I get this shit from you and Jace. One minute you're sisters, the next you're lovers the next you're married. I can't keep that shit straight. It also makes outsiders think we're all fucked up anyways. We have Javier and Camryn together. THEY. ARE. COUSINS. If you want to get on some technical bullshit right now. You and Jacey are _sisters_. Your son is with her daughter. Camryn and Javier are cousins. Shut that shit down right now. It's not right nope! Oh, guess what. Kol and Kajsa are cousins too. If we're getting really technical today. Nik is your sister, you're Jacey's sister. All the kids are cousins. Oh, then that means I'm dating and marrying my sister. Babe, we're the definition of white trash."

"Ew, no." Bri shook her head. "I mean, hey bro. I love your dick." She smirked as she rubbed the crotch of his jeans and winked. "You went way to technical there but I see the point you're trying to make but leave the matchmaking to Jacey and I. We know what we're doing. Plus, I don't need you getting an aneurysm because you were thinking too hard."

"Shut up." He smirked back at her as he pushed her hand away. "There are children in the house and I don't need them picking up on your promiscuity."

"The boys are yours, they're already baby sluts." She chuckled. "I'll grab Noah and you grab Mase, then we can go hang out in the backyard and see how many flowers Kajsa can put in Creed's hair before he falls asleep."

"He's probably already asleep." Jax shrugged. "You think I should cut my hair still?"

"No." She shook her head as she lifted Noah out of his swing. "I don't think you should cut your hair. I love it like it is. I especially love it when it's all wet. Like damn, Jackson."

"The way you seem to always make dumbass comments and compliments that make me blush is amazing." He chuckled as he picked up Mason. "I'm a lucky man."

"I'm all about the fairytale." She laughed. "Gotta let my King know that I love and cherish him even when he's being a dickhead and trying to marry off cousins. Stop your shit, alright? Then I'll give you all the compliments you can handle. You know I love it when you get all flustered."

" _I'm all bout the fairytale baby_." Jax smirked at the brunette. "At least get it right shit. I love you, you know that right? Huh?"

"I know you do, I love you too." Bri smiled. "People think I'm crazy but whatever. We already knew that. I'm sure of it."

"People think the same about me." He chuckled. "I get the, you're really gonna marry her? She's a bit materialistic."

"Like that isn't obvious, they need to come up with better insults. I have money, I love nice things, I'm going to acquire every single nice thing that I can because guess what? It's a normal thing to do for me. Plus, what's the point of having tons of money and just saving it?" She rolled her eyes as she eased Noah onto the blanket that was on the grass. "It's tummy time for them. They're starting to scoot and crawl. They grow up too fast."

"Whatever makes you happy." He set Mason down next to his brother and smiled. "Show me what you got man. Is your mom talking you guys up or are you actually trying to crawl away from our craziness?"

"Shush, they're not supposed to know their parents are crazy until they're older." Bri shook her head as she lowered herself down in front of her sons and smiled. "Come on my loves, show daddy that you're quick and you can actually crawl to me. If you love me like you claim to, you won't make me look dumb. If you need motivation, look at these shiny new teething rings. They have little teeth now. Cutest thing ever until they get your finger when you're not paying attention."

"Don't get me started on the teeth. Noah bit the shit out of my hand and I still haven't forgiven him for it." Jax shook his head as he watched the twins start to crawl away from him and towards their mom. "Mama's boys…"

"Says the biggest mama's boy of them all." Bri stuck her tongue out at the man and smirked. "Leave them alone though, they are precious and I love them so much. Even if they just want their teething rings."

"I sleepy." Creed crawled into Bri's lap and yawned. "Look at my flowers."

"Gorgeous." The brunette nodded as she looked down at her son before watching her niece drop down onto the blanket. "Look at you two, sleepy as can be. Kajsa lay down, we're all still going to be out here in the garden when you wake up."

"K." Kajsa nodded as she laid down on the blanket and held her hand out for Creed. "Come on best friend, sleep."

"Ok." Creed nodded as he moved to her and laid down next to her. "Night."

"I just died a little bit inside." Bri smiled widely at the sight. "This just made my day so much more amazing. I can't get over it."

"Shh." Jax shook his head. "It's nap time babe. Let's follow their lead."

"You nap. I'm going to crawl around with the twins and make some snacks." She nodded her head slowly. "I love you guys so much… Sleepy babies."

* * *

 **Kept it light and smutty. with some fluff laced in with Bri & Jax and some of the kids. I hoped you all enjoyed this.**


	69. Fucked

**March 1, 2015**

Brianna Hohrykova moved through her clinic, her sneakers squeaking on the ground as she checked and double checked everything. She had stayed behind after closing, making sure to greet the new cleaning crew to give them her exact wants and needs to the space. She was tired of opening in the morning and having to still pick up after the former crew. Now that she knew her expectations would be met and exceeded she was ready to go. "It's good. This is amazing." She pulled her phone from her back pocket and easily dialed Jackson's number. "Babe…"

" _Finally coming home? I was beginning to think you were going to spend the night at the clinic Brianna."_

She chuckled as she tucked her hair behind her ears as she let herself out of the clinic. "No, no. I'm coming home. I just walked out of the clinic now. I'm stopping for some In n Out though, so it could be another forty minutes, you know how that line is."

" _Be safe. I had to pull the prospects away for something else_. _Bring me some fries, with all the meat and sauce."_

"Animal fries." She laughed. "Yeah, I got you. I love you."

" _I love you too, be safe. See you soon"_

Bri ended the call, easily tucking her phone away before securing the clinic's doors once more. "Need food…" She mumbled to herself as she heard her stomach growl. "You don't need to remind me." She reached forward to pull open the door of her Rolls Royce, the newest edition to her steady growing car collection. "What the hell?"

"Don't fight, don't fight it. I don't want to hurt you." The man murmured into the brunette's ear as he shot the contents of the syringe into her neck. "Relax Brianna, it'll all be over soon."

"No, let me go!" Bri clawed and squirmed in the man's grip, trying her hardest to pull away. "Let me go! Take the car! Take my purse! What do you want!?"

"Relax!" The man tightened his grip on the brunette as he tossed her keys towards his partner. "Take the car, put it in the warehouse." He dragged the motionless brunette towards his truck and tossed her into the passenger's seat. "I didn't expect you to put up a fight…"

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"Is she dead?" The woman asked as her eyes danced over the motionless body that was slumped against the wall. "You weren't supposed to kill her. It defeats the purpose of grabbing her to begin with."

"She's not dead just knocked out cold." The large man nodded as he kicked at Bri's feet before looking back at the blonde. "We're late… Couldn't help myself with that one."

"You weren't supposed to assault her either." The woman shook her head as she looked back down at the brunette. "Get her into a chair, tie her up and put a sack over her head. I don't want her seeing our faces. I just want her to hear our voices."

"What do you want?" Bri choked out as she was roughly pulled to her feet. "If it's money, just name an amount and let me go!"

"Darling, if this was about money, we would have definitely asked for ransom or something." The woman shook her head and chuckled. "This is about something far more important Brianna."

The brunette channeled through her emotions, taking in the sound of the woman's forced Russian accent before shaking her head. "What do you want? Just tell me what you want! There are going to be lots of people out looking for me! Just let me go now! Save yourselves!"

"This little girl…" The woman scoffed. "She thinks she can bargain for her life. This isn't a movie dear. There won't be a happy ending for you. We'll get what we need then we'll send you back to your family and friends in a body bag."

Bri shook her head as she strained against the ropes. "I have kids… I'm not leaving her in a body bag." She strained against the ropes even more, feeling them dig into her wrists. "I'm going to get out of here alive."

"We'll see." The woman shrugged as she sent her fist into Bri's face. "It's going to be difficult getting back to those babies. Monica, Javier, Creed, Mason and Noah. You're just a little Susie Homemaker aren't you? Popping out kids left and right. Not making anything of yourself. I thought your dad had big things planned for you. He married you off to a powerful man and this is where you end up? California? Pretending to be some domestic goddess that you're far from."

"Who are you!?" She groaned as the woman landed another series of blows to her face. "How do you know all of that!?"

"Old family friend." The woman chuckled as she trailed a knife over Bri's neck. "One wrong move and you're going to suffer a slow and painful death. Bleeding out slowly, it'd be weeks before anyone found you here."

"Old family friend…" Bri whimpered as her chair fell backwards and she saw stars. "Ow."

"The princess is in pain." She smiled proudly at the men. "We're going to beat some sense into this little girl. Maybe get some answers from her when she learns not to talk back."

 **.**

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"You with us here Brianna? Or do you prefer Katarzyna?" The woman looked down at the beaten brunette and smirked. "You ready to hear why you're here? Why we're doing this to you?"

"Yeah." Bri sniffled and nodded. "I'm ready for it… Tell me."

"We can wait, tell me why you think you're here. I'm curious to know how important you think you are." The woman tapped on the brunette's side viciously, laughing as Bri let out a loud whimper. "Probably a few broken ribs."

"I have no clue." She shook her head as she tried her best to get herself in an upright position, pain pulsating through her body as she fell back to the wet concrete floor. "I would've said for money but it's not that. You said so yourself. I don't know, maybe my dad Viktor or my dead husband Max screwed you over or something. That has nothing to do with me!"

"I did lose something important but that has _nothing_ to do with them and _everything_ to do with you and the absurd family you have going. That family took my husband from me… He's gone and I can never get him back." The woman hissed as she landed another firm kick to the brunette's side. "You're also standing in my new love's way… Hindering his gun business Brianna… Killing you off will put him back on top. He won't do this, so I'm going to do it for him. An early birthday present for him."

"I am not in the gun business." Bri shook her head frantically. "I just simply own an armory. I sell guns to the general public. I'm not selling guns to criminals or gangs or shit. Is this about my fiance's club? Huh? Grab me because your little Irish love is pissed because the Sons are going legit? This is bullshit, I don't even deal guns to the Sons. I have _nothing_ to do with them or what they're doing!"

"Shut up!" The woman kicked Bri again. "Just shut up! Tape up her mouth. I'm done listening to this bratty child. We'll wait a bit then we can get rid of her. She's not cooperating so we don't need her. The world will be better off with one less Hohrykova running around anyways."

 _ **The Fortress, Oakland, CA**_

"Where's my mom?" Creed whined as he wrapped himself around his dad's neck and yawned. "I want mom."

"She's not home yet. She stopped for food. It's probably a crazy line." Jax shook his head as he rubbed his son's back in an attempt to calm the toddler down. "She'll be back soon enough then you can cuddle her while she eats."

"Ok." He nodded as he started to trail his fingers through his dad's hair, his eyes slowly closing. "I love mom."

"I love her too." The man smiled as he watched Aleksandr move into the living room and sit down. "She'll be home in no time. I promise."

"Brianna still working?" Aleksandr shook his head. "I just woke back up from a nap. I forgot what it was like to be cuddled to death my Javier."

"She left work, I talked to her. She's heading to In n Out, she wanted to grab a burger and fries. It's late, so I know she'll be a while. The lines are always too long." Jax nodded. "Yes, Javier is amazing with the cuddles. I watch him put Bri to sleep in five minutes. She'll be trying to put him to sleep but she ends up falling asleep instead."

"Alright good, give him here. I'll put him down with Javier. He's passed out. You grab a shower before Bri gets home. You look like you need one." Aleksandr took Creed from Jax and smiled. "She'll force you into a shower when she gets home anyways, so might as well do it now."

"Yeah, thanks man." Jax smiled. "It'll be quick."

 **.**

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Jax paced the foyer of the Fortress, his face set in a worried expression as he checked and rechecked his phone. It had been over an hour, twenty minutes later than the time Brianna had told him she would be home. She wasn't the most punctual but she had made it a habit of calling him of she was going to be late. "Where the fuck are you at Brianna?" He frowned as he tried her number one more time before opening the door and stepping out.

"Where are you going?" Aleksandr cleared his throat as he moved behind Jax. "Did Bri call? Does she need help?"

He shrugged as he turned back around. "She's late, she isn't answering her phone… I talked to her an hour ago, she was leaving the clinic to go to In n Out… She should be here already. "

Aleksandr nodded slowly, doing his best to keep his composure as he channeled through all of the negative thoughts in his head. "Okay. I will drive by the clinic and have Yevgeny and Arseny drive to In n Out it won't be difficult to tell if she were there. Can't miss a Rolls Royce."

"I'm going to check with Jace, see if she's heard from her." Jax murmured as he let his feet carry him to his sister's house. He reached forward, pressing the doorbell once as he leaned against the wall, taking in a deep breath before tilting his head back and shaking his head. "Fuck…"

The front door opened up to Jacey, holding her youngest daughter. She furrowed her brow as she looked at the man before her. "Jackson? What is it?"

"It's Brianna…" Jax mumbled as he pushed away from the wall to look at his sister. "I think someone grabbed her."

Jacey reached forward, grabbing her brother's arm and pulling him into the house. "What are you talking about?" She shut the front door and readjusted the newborn in her arms. "What happened?"

"She was supposed to be home like thirty minutes ago. She was coming from the clinic, then going to In n Out. She usually texts or calls when she's going to be late. Her phone didn't die, it just keeps ringing and ringing before going to voicemail." He shook his head. "I think someone grabbed her, or something bad fucking happened to her Jacey. Aleksandr is so worried that he didn't even shoot me at the news…"

The blonde nodded her head slowly. "Ok, go outside to the pool. I'm gonna give Ashtyn to Monica. Don't say anything, especially to her. Do you hear me?" She started to guide him out of the foyer and towards the French doors before stopping at the studio. "Sit out there, I'll be right back." She walked into the studio and sighed. "Hap, I need to talk to you. It's important, babe."

"Uh, alright? Monica, keep working." Happy nodded his head as he stood up from the table.

Jacey shook her head. "Actually, will you hold Ashtyn and make sure she stays asleep, Monica?"

"Yes." Monica smiled at the blonde and nodded. "I'd love to hold her."

The blonde nodded her head, passing her daughter to her stepdaughter. "We'll be by the pool if you need us." She smiled. "Come on, Hap. Let's go."

"What the hell is going on?" Happy inquired as he was lead outside. He looked over Jacey when he spotted Jax. "What the hell… What are you doing here?"

"Brianna is missing." Jax looked at Happy. "She hasn't come home… She's not picking up anything and Aleksandr just called. She left the clinic, the cameras have her leaving but cut out when she finishes locking up. Never made it to In n Out either."

The man nodded his head. "That's not fucking good. When'd you last hear from her?"

"That's all you say, Hap? That's not good? No shit, Hap! My fucking sister is missing… Jax is right, she was taken. The videos cut out? Not on accident." Jacey shook her head. "This is ridiculous. Who the fuck is stupid enough to take her?!"

"The video cut out, her new flashy car is missing. I don't know if it's random or if it was planned. I know the Irish threatened to take her but Aleksandr and Elijah said the Irish all made it back to Belfast." Jax rubbed his hands up and down his face. "It's been over an hour since I've heard from her before."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Oh fuck that. They _all_ didn't go back, Jackson. Don't be naive… Where's dad?" She sighed. "Nevermind, Happy. Go find my dad and talk to him. Bring the kids to me…"

"I was taking your dad's word Jacey." He shook his head. "They can stay asleep, Sariya is with the kids."

The blonde shook her head. "I understand that but you know better. The Irish are all sneaky dipshits. They're stupid as fuck though." She huffed. "What do you need us to do, Jackson?"

"I don't know, I really don't know Jacey." Jax shrugged. "I'm lost on this situation. This is _my_ fault. I did this. I gotta reach out to Galen."

Jacey shook her head slowly, moving toward her brother. "Hey, this is not your damn fault, Jax. It's no one's fault, don't go there. Do you hear me? Get out of that place now."

"It's on me Jacey. I gotta get her back." He shook his head. "If it weren't for her being with me she wouldn't be gone right now."

The blonde shook her head. "How can you be sure? How do you know this isn't something related to her damn business? Huh? You don't. Stop it now."

"Because your dad and Elijah, some other suits. They ran into the Irish at some bar, they got into some shit, one of the Irish were shot and Galen knew exactly who Brianna was and that she was with me." Jax sighed. "It has to be related to that shit Jacey."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "I'm going to push you into that pool and drown you if you don't get your shit together. Now is not the time to blame people, get your ass in gear, Jackson. You need to find your fiancée."

"I know, I fucking know that Jacey. I don't know where to start. I tried Galen and it went to voicemail." He shook his head. "I gotta find a way to reach out to him. That's my wife he has and I want her back!"

The blonde shook her head slowly. "Stop fucking trying to reach out to that dipshit. He's not up for conversation, he doesn't want to discuss shit! He wants to hurt you and the Russians." She sighed heavily. "Think, Jackson… Where could he have gone?"

"They had a warehouse, outside of Oakland. Then they have some safehouse in Napa." Jax rubbed his forehead. "I have to call Juice, see if there's anyway to find that stupid car of hers by the GPS or find her by the phone."

Happy nodded his head. "Juice is on his way already, I texted him a minute ago." He looked between the siblings. "We'll do whatever we can."

"What happens if we get her back and she wants nothing to do with me? I can't lose her or my kids." Jackson shook his head. "That'd kill me."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "She loves you… She wouldn't just walk away, stop being dramatic."

"Jacey… I can't fucking help it alright. It's the Irish that have her. We have no fucking idea what they could be doing to her, have done to her, will do to her. I need to find her right now." He turned away from the blonde. "I can't just sit here. Here's her phone, I'll text you the plates on her car. I gotta head to the first warehouse."

The blonde sighed and nodded her head, moving to the man. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Keep me updated, please. Take Hap with you." She hugged her brother tightly. "Bring my sister home." She murmured to him.

"I'll keep you updated." He hugged her back and sighed. "I'll bring her back soon. I promise Jacey."

She nodded. "Good, I'll be bored with three sleeping kids and one who doesn't talk." She shrugged, still hugging her brother. "Bring yourselves back too, I'd hate to have to hunt you two down and kicked both your asses." She laughed a little.

"I need her to be alright. Tell me that she'll be alright." Jax looked at Jacey. "Tell me that she won't say something stupid to piss any of them off… I mean, we see Chibs. What if they're fucked up and cut up Brianna's face? You know how much she loves her face…"

Jacey started laughing. "She'd just get work done after spending eight months crying in her bed. She's fine, she's ok. I know her, Jax. Now go get her back." She moved away from her brother and to her husband. "You better find her and bring her back to me."

"I will. I won't give up, baby." Happy nodded his head as he secured his gun in his holster. "You think I'll just let her go missing? I'll get her back, baby." He leaned down, kissing her lips. "You listen to Case."

"Jacey." Aleksandr appeared behind Happy and gave a small smile. "I stopped into the studio, found Monica singing to Ashtyn…"

The blonde looked up and sighed as she moved to the man, burying herself in his arms. "Where the fuck is she?" She mumbled.

"I don't have a clue but we're going to find her. I'm staying here with you and the kids." He hugged her tightly and kissed her head. "Already put in word to the boys back home, they're heading to Ireland right now. I will eradicate those fuckers."

Happy looked back at Aleksandr. "You don't trust Case with her and the kids?"

"I trust Case with her and the kids. I'm just staying behind so I'm not tempted to put a bullet in the back of Jackson's skull." Aleksandr shrugged. "It wouldn't be of help to anyone."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Jesus fucking Christ. You're all fucking nuts, Jacey, take him to find one of those spawns you hatched." He shook his head. "Come on, Jax, we need to get going." He grabbed Jacey's arm and pulled her to him. "I'll be back soon, I'll keep you updated, ok? Love you." He kissed her before following Jax into the house.

"I'm pretty sure Aleksandr is wishing Juice were still in the picture right about now." Jax shook his head. "Of course Brianna gets snatched right when I think everything is good. It's been like a month!"

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "When are you going to learn that you can't please that fucking man? He's never happy with anything." He shook his head, making his way into his garage.

"Oh no, we were working our way back to good terms. Poker game invites and shit." Jax shrugged. "I think we need to take this Rover."

The man looked back from a stainless steel table and shrugged. "I'm just forever on his shit list. What's new. We're taking that black one. Jacey likes to keep the white one is good condition… Just let me get more of my guns."

"Why don't you invite him for drinks. He likes to drink." Jax nodded. "I wouldn't take the white one anyways. Brianna was going on and on about why they like the color white and what it symbolizes and all that shit. I usually tune her out but I'd give anything to have her standing right here telling me a story."

Happy shook his head. "I'm not worried about the relationship I have with him right now. More worried about the Priss. What the hell could the color possibly symbolize?"

"Take a guess." He chuckled. "Just a wild ass guess. It's the most fucking ridiculous thing I've heard come out her mouth and that's saying a lot since it's Bri. The color symbolizes their God like status in Russia. Monica's suits drive red because they're considered the peasants and if you ever come across one of them driving a blue car, it's because they're loyal to the family but not actually a suit. You see how ridiculous that is?"

The man looked back again and shook his head. "That sounds about fucking stupid. I feel like I just lost brain cells for that shit." He rolled his eyes as he zipped up the black duffle bag and moved toward his wife's blacked out Range Rover. "Let's go."

"How much did you spend on this thing? I was thinking of getting Monica a Rover for her thirteenth birthday, she said something about wanting to start driving early." Jax smirked at Happy. "We can go halfsies."

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "Too damn much. Don't worry about it. Don't fucking get her a damn car for her _thirteenth_ birthday, she's thirteen." He growled. "Buy her a damn tablet or some shit, let me worry about the big shit."

"I'm trying to be a cool step dad. Juice covers the technology aspect for her. You cover everything else, I just want to get her one huge gift." Jax got into the Rover. "You remember the warehouse right?"

Happy nodded. "She doesn't need a cool step dad, get her a something she can put to use now. You buy a car, I'll run you over with it." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

"I'll buy her some camera stuff then." Jax nodded. "We're going to that warehouse first. I'm banking on them being dumbasses."

* * *

 **So that happened. We shall see what else unfolds when this continues next chapter. :) hope you enjoyed it.**


	70. Don't Leave

**Continued from CH. 69**

He shrugged. "Worry about buy your own kids shit, Jax. I got mine covered." He looked at the man. "Why? You think they'd be stupid with precious cargo? She's not just your fiancée or the mother of your kids. She's much more than just some Son's old lady."

"Fine. I won't worry about it." Jax shook his head. "I know she's more than just an old lady but I'm drawing blanks on this shit Hap. She's either still in Oakland or somewhere else, they have nearly two hours on us. She could be on some plane out of the state, out of the _country_."

The man looked at his president and shook his head. "Quit thinking so hard. We'll check what we know then we'll expand." He shrugged. "That's all you got right now. _Look_."

"I have to cycle through everything." Jax sighed. "I need to look at this from every fucking angle. What am I looking at?"

Happy rolled his eyes. "At the bigger picture. You know the Irish but not that damn well. Times like this, it'd be good if Clay was around since he was just so _close_ with them."

"You're really bringing up Clay right now?" Jax shook his head. "I know he was close with them but that doesn't help us right now."

He shrugged. "If it opens your fucking eyes a little then yeah I am." He looked at Jax briefly as he pulled up to the front of the warehouse. "Oh look, another car. Mercedes. The Irish love a nice Mercedes."

"Could be a trap." Jax shook his head again. "This is way too easy. They wouldn't just snatch her to end up out here."

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "No time to be getting worried. You can keep your ass out here. I'm going in." He turned the SUV off and moved out of it.

"I'm not staying in here." Jax got out of the SUV. "I'm gonna go in."

The man shrugged. "You're the one that thinks this is a trap, stay in the Rover. One of us has to go back…"

"I'll get my ass handed to me if anything happens to you. Be safe." Jax nodded before moving back to the Range Rover. "I mean it."

Happy chuckled. "You're not afraid of that little thing Jacey, are you? She's a tiny little thing, she won't do a damn thing." He shrugged as he looked back at the warehouse. "Odds are it's the younger dipshits that tried to fuck around with the prospects a few weeks back."

"Oh great." Jax shook his head. "Not those fucking idiots again."

Happy nodded. "Oh what? You're not even a little excited that I might get to torture these little fuckers? Should've brought Jacey, she likes torturing people."

"I'm excited for it, I just hope they're not fucking useless." Jax moved forward. "Come on, let's see what they know."

The man nodded again as he shrugged his kutte off. "She's gonna be so mad that she had to miss out. We'll just have to keep it between us." He chuckled as he made his way back to Jax and they started for the door to the warehouse.

"If we keep them alive, she can still have her fun later." Jax opened the door slowly before looking back at Happy. "She'll do way worse than us."

Happy nodded his head. "Because she's fucking bat-shit crazy. She's throws hot food at me if I piss her off while she's cooking." He grabbed his gun. "Listen, they're talking."

"I don't see her car at all." Jax shook his head before listening carefully. "Did they say plane or rain?"

He shook his head. "Why would you? I said idiots are here, not her. They said pain."

"Because I assumed they'd be idiots and try to steal the car." The blonde shrugged. "Pain? They're going to be in a lot of pain in a minute."

Happy rolled his eyes. "You're full of brilliance. I'm so happy that your IQ could leak into my own children's DNA." He shook his head.

"Can we get on with this. I kinda want my wife home already." Jax shook his head. "I'm usually more sharp than this… The worry is eating at me right now."

Happy chuckled and nodded his head. "You think I want to be out and about right now? I'm supposed to be teaching one kid how to draw then another how to respect the adults in his life." He shook his head as he moved toward the opening where the voices were coming from. "A drinking party I was invited to?! Damn Irish! Those greedy fuckers always want all the booze." He flashed a salacious smirk at the two younger men, his Kimber trained on one of them.

"Oh shit!" One of the men reached for his gun. "You're lookin' in the wrong place if ya think you're gonna take any of our shite."

Happy chuckled. "Reach for it if you want to and you'll lose a hand. Wait! That's not fair. I should be allowed to take something of yours since you took something of mine!" He walked closer to the men, yanking an empty chair out from under the table and he sat down, keeping his Kimber trained on the man in a gray shirt. "It's only fair. You got any pretty little friends running around I can snatch up?"

"We've sent the lassies on a beer run." The man nodded slowly. "Should be back soon… What is it that you think we have of yours?"

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "Aw hell, I don't know. We just decided we wanted to spend our days off with the goddamn Irish. What do you guys have planned for the day?"

"Just sitting around until we get a call." The other man shrugged. "Heading back out of town… What did we do to get on the Sons radar this time around?"

The man shrugged his shoulders again. "A call? For what? Who from? Secrets do not make friends, _boyo_." He mocked the man's accent as he shook his head. "I heard you were hitting on my wife… That is just not fucking ok."

"Who is your wife?" He shook his head. "From our boss."

Happy narrowed his eyes. "Who is _your_ wife? Quit worrying about mine, she's _unavailable_ … Means no touching." He shook his head. "Who's your boss? Mine is that ugly fucker over there."

"Galen O'Shay." The man smiled and shrugged. "I don't suppose you two are looking for this gorgeous thing." He set a picture on the table and smirked.

Happy picked up the picture and furrowed his brow. "Hey, Jax. Look, it's that one slut from the clubhouse. Sucks good dick, I was wondering where she's been." He looked up at the men. "What are you looking at me like that for? Because I'm married? So! I'm not catholic anymore, I am a free man forever."

"She's supposedly a valuable person." He set down another series of pictures. "Ran her mouth, put up a fight until she was roughed up. Such a shame."

Happy shook his head. "It's always the ones that can suck such good dick that use their mouths for _everything_. What'd you take her for? Should've gone after that annoying little blonde. Smartass little bitch, she loves accents too." He nodded.

"I don't know, we were given the pictures, told to sit here and wait for some Sons." The man nodded. "If you guys want a tip, a real honest tip… There was a cargo ship, it left about an hour ago. I think she's getting shipped off, maybe she can put her mouth to work for some good and live a little longer."

Happy nodded his head. "Well damn it! I liked that bitch, she was fun to throw around too. Can't get quality dick suckers anymore… I could cry over this. Where's your boss at?"

"Just shoot him." Jax shook his head. "Shoot him, we'll keep the quiet one. He's bound to know more than this idiot."

Happy shook his head slowly. "Hey! Don't talk about my new friend like that, he's fun. I like him. Why can't we keep them both? Bet that demon would love them." He smirked.

"Alright, let's take them to Satan." Jax nodded before picking up the pictures, his mouth twisting into a snarl. "We're getting her back, you two can fucking help us accomplish that."

Happy shrugged as he stood up and the man in the gray shirt. "Ignore him, he gets cranky when he doesn't have a nice tit to suck on." He nodded. "Walk."

"You're not going to get her back." He shook his head. "It's a lost cause."

Happy nodded his head. "What's your name? Let's just stick to McShithead. Shut the fuck up talking so negatively. I won't get anything done with that kind of attitude. You're just raining all over my parade." He scoffed. "Asshole."

"Lachlan O'Shay." The man smiled. "I'm your direct line to retrieving that brunette's body."

Happy chuckled. "You're going to end up on fire before the day is over. Then Satan's going to dismember you, piece by piece." He nodded eagerly. "I'm your direct line to keeping your life, shit head."

"Can we stop the fucking back and forth banter?" Jax growled. "Brianna is bloodied, she's on her way to who even knows where! If he's not going to get us useful information, then shoot him and let's be done with him."

Happy rolled his eyes. "Right about now, I want to shoot you. Call Satan and leave us be, you have his stupid ass tied up."

 _ **Outside of Oakland, CA**_

Brianna mumbled to herself, feeling the blood rolling down her face as she tried her best to remain conscious, to hear what was going on around her. She knew they had her for a few hours, she could tell by the way the light was starting to leak into the room and seep through the bag that was still covering her face. "Let me go…" She spoke weakly as she tried lifting her head up off of her shoulder. "Please…"

"She's still begging…" The woman scoffed as she moved back to Brianna and shook her head. "We're not letting you go dear. Just sit tight and deal with it."

"What happened to your Russian accent." Bri chuckled softly at the sound of the woman's Irish accent. "Decided to let me hear your real voice before you kill me or what?"

"You won't be alive long enough to tell anyone." The woman smirked as she yanked the bag off Brianna's head and trailed a finger over her forehead. "You can see my face, right Brianna? Take a mental picture, it's not like it'll help you any. You're going to be gone."

Bri tried her best to focus in on the woman's face, only to little avail. "Fuck you bitch. I can die right now and you'll still be hunted the fuck down and murdered in cold blood. You're not getting away with this. You're going to fucking pay for it!"

"Found your voice have you? Where's this anger coming from? You hear her boys? The princess is getting upset!" She cackled as she grabbed Bri's hair and yanked her head back viciously. "You're not scary, not at all. I want you to know that. I want you to hear that. You're not shit Brianna. You should've been killed the moment your mother found out she was pregnant with you." She let Bri's hair loose at the sound of her phone ringing. "I have to take that. Bag her head again and come on. Let her sit in silence with her own thoughts of failure and anger… I hope you told those kids of yours that you loved them before you left your house tonight Brianna. Would hate for those not to have been the last words they heard from you."

"I'm going to get out of this." Bri growled as she strained against the ropes, feeling them dig further into her wrists. "I'm going to get out of here and I'm going to find you and I'm going to have the most satisfying pleasure of killing you with my bare hands. That's a fucking promise! You fucked with the wrong _princess_."

"Goodnight princess." The man pulled the bag back over Brianna's hand before sending his fist into her face. "Sweet dreams."

 **.**

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Igor trained his gun on the covered figure as he started to speak in Russian. "Katarzyna?"

"Igor?" The cloaked figure responded. "Take this thing off my head."

Jacey moved around Igor and closed the space between herself and the figure. "Petra?" She circled around the person slowly.

"Nicole." The figure kicked at Jacey. "I'll kick you, move closer."

The blonde moved to the side of the figure before straddling the figure and she pulled the cloak off of her sister's head. "Hi baby."

"Can you administer first aid or what?" Bri looked at the blonde. "Kinda feel all bruised and cut up J…"

Jacey shook her head. "They did hurt you! I fucking knew it and I'm going to kill that little Irish fucker." She reached around Bri and untied her wrists before she started to examine her face. "Let Igor and Frey take you to my house, dad's there with my kids. He'll fix you up. I'll be home shortly with our husbands."

"I don't want you to go." Bri shook her head. "Not at all."

The blonde furrowed her brow. "Igor, go check on the kid and Frey." She kept her eyes on her sister. "What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it right now. I just don't want you to leave me." She wrapped her arms around Jacey. "I need you right now Jacey."

The blonde nodded her head, wrapping her arms tightly around her sister. "Ok. It's ok, babe, I won't leave you. I'll take you home. It's ok." She kissed Bri's head. "Let Igor carry you to my car though, I don't want you to walk, ok?"

"Alright." Bri nodded. "I'm not gonna put up a fight. I'm worn out. I just want a long hot shower and some cuddles."

Jacey nodded her head. "You're in luck, I have tons of showers and so much cuddling to be done." She slowly pulled away and stood up. "Igor!"

"Yes?" The man came back to the women. "What is it?"

Jacey sighed. "Please carry her to my car, take the kid back to the warehouse. Tell Hap that I'm home, let him do what he wishes with that kid they're watching."

"Pretty sure I'll need some gift cards to a plastic surgeon. My nose is broken." Bri pulled on Igor's ears. "Pick me up some clothes from my place. I don't think I can fit J's clothes. She's too tiny."

Igor nodded his head. "I will as soon as I finish talking to Happy. She just had a baby though, I'm sure there's something in her ridiculous closet." He smiled at the brunette. "Glad to be receiving orders from you, my dear."

"Shhh, she's still tiny." Bri nodded. "It's been awhile."

Igor nodded his head. "She's little but not tiny. Nikola is tiny. It has been awhile… I'll grab your clothes, is there anything else you want from home?"

"Igor, don't let anything happen to Ivan. I want to talk some things over with dad first." Jacey nodded as she looked back briefly before they exited the cargo container.

"You know that fur blanket I love so much? I want it." The brunette closed her eyes. "Plus that big medical bag from my office please."

Jacey ran her hand over Bri's hair. "Do you want a guest room, Frey or Igor's rooms or mine?" She kissed Bri's head. "Ivan, you're going with them to the warehouse, don't open your mouth about anything."

"Where the hell are you two going?" Frey inquired as he moved closer to Jacey.

Jacey looked up at the man. "Home, Frey, I'm taking her home and I'm staying with her. Keep him close, don't let Jax or Hap do anything to _him_."

"Frey don't be a _bellend_." Bri shook her head. "I'm seriously injured, I want a shower, painkillers and cuddles from J."

Frey nodded his head. "Glad her personality hasn't been altered yet… I'd be thoroughly devastated."

"Igor, please put me down." The brunette nodded. "I will kill you Frey. You have no idea what I've been through and I'm trying not to break out into tears. So relax yourself before Kol is down a suit."

Jacey sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Igor, continue on. Frey, shut the fuck up. Leave her alone now." She slapped him upside his head. "I'm serious." She reached her Mercedes and opened the passenger door, I'll have dad carry her inside and I'll get her clothes and things. Don't worry. Just got straight to the warehouse."

"Not your little Barbie Benz." Bri smirked at her sister. "I see you Malibu."

Jacey smiled as she got into the driver's seat, pulling her pumps off. "At least it's red. I'll change it to ugly ass pink though. Just for you." She reached over, grabbing Bri's hand. "I do vacation there…"

"No pink." The brunette shook her head as she squeezed her sister's hand. "I'm gonna need you to like cut me out of my shirt when we get to your place."

The blonde shook her head. "Why?"

"Because my back is fucked." Bri shrugged. "Plus cutting clothes off injured people makes you feel badass. Just go with it."

Jacey nodded her head. "Just tell me everything you need me to do and I'll do it." She squeezed Bri's hand. "I'll be here with you, every single step ok?"

"Ok babe." She nodded. "Not every step though because you'll need to be feeding Ashtyn and stuff."

The blonde shrugged. "I can feed her while cuddling you. I'm not leaving you for a very long time, if ever."

"I'm never leaving the house again. I'm gonna become a true stay at home mom and hire some weird nanny to do all my errands for me." Bri sighed. "I'm gonna take over your room with you, so Happy is gonna have to deal with it."

Jacey laughed. "I don't think he'd care, so long as you're safe and ok. He'll also need to be cuddled some so when you're asleep, I'll be cuddling him." She pulled up to her gate and punched in the code before she pulled into the circular driveway. "You think you can get on my back?"

"I can walk." Bri nodded. "I'll be able to make it to the guest suite fine Jacey but if you're insisting then yeah, I'll take that piggy back ride."

Jacey nodded. "Guest room? No! I'm putting you in my room… I shouldn't have given you any options."

"No yelling. I'm gonna have to start seeing Monica's therapist after this ordeal Jacey." She shook her head as she jumped on her sister's back. "I'm so heavy so just drop me if it gets tough."

Jacey laughed and shook her head. "I'm not dropping you, shut up. I've got this. I've put Hap in bed before. From the garage to the guest suite by the studio." She nodded. "I'll go with you."

"I don't wanna see dad or Jax." Bri mumbled. "Keep them away."

The blonde moved up her staircase quickly and disappeared into the master suite. "Tell me why… You won't tell me anything else and that's ok. But why don't you wanna see them? You know dad will bulldoze me down to get to you."

"Because they'll both be blaming themselves for this shit. I don't feel like throwing them a pity party tonight." She shook her head. "I'll tell you everything that happened, it'll make your blood boil and you'll be set on finding who did this and exacting revenge Jacey… Hell, I want revenge. I already know I'll be hiding from the world because the bitch literally hit me in the face nearly two dozen times. Kept count before I blacked out."

Jacey moved the bed and eased onto it to set Bri down before she moved back to the door, locking it. "Babe, listen ok? I'm going to exact revenge whether someone tells me no or not. Look at you, at what they did. Who did this? Huh? I don't need to know until you're ready, babe."

"They were coming back Jacey." Bri shook her head. "They fucking left to get cigarettes and beer. It was two men annd a lady. The woman had a muddled accent, like she was trying hard to keep a Russian accent but Irish kept leaking through."

The blonde nodded her head as she helped her sister lay down. "Did you see what they looked like? Why would the woman try to have a Russian accent?"

"No." Bri shook her head. "As soon as they grabbed me, one of them shot something into my neck. When I came to, they were standing before me with masks on."

Jacey nodded again as she moved to her side of the bed and opened her nightstand drawer, pulling a pair of scissors before moving back to Happy's side of the bed. "What did they say to you?"

"It was a whole lot of yelling and them asking questions about shit from when I was with Max. I kept telling them that they could have whatever money they desired and all they wanted to know about was guns. Max didn't even have shit to do with guns. The lady seemed to have some personal issue with me, it was like she was giving me an ass beating for no reason. Few times felt her scratch up my back with something." Bri frowned. "I want to forget this but I know I will have nightmares."

The blonde nodded her head slowly. "I'm so sorry, babe. I am, I wish there was something I could do other than hide you from the family and supply you with cuddles." She kissed the brunette's forehead before she started to cut Bri's shirt off slowly, her icy gaze moving across Bri's torso as she started to spot bruises. "Did they-." She stopped herself, her eyes connecting with Bri's gray eyes.

"I just need cuddles. I'll talk to dad in a day or so. Let him know the important details." The brunette shook her head. "No sexual assault. Just a straight up all out ass beating. That's all. I mean, I have no idea what happened when I was out though."

Jacey nodded her head. "You will get cuddles, all you need. You think maybe we should call Sariya and get you checked out? Just to be safe, babe." She slowly pulled Bri's shirt off her body before moving to Bri's jeans and started to cut the right leg of the jeans. "Hot shower or hot bath?"

"Hot shower." Bri nodded. "We can call her. She's at my house still. Her and dad were drinking with Jax and I took their keys so they couldn't leave before I headed to the clinic."

Jacey nodded her head. "Then the shower will have to wait, I'll text her. I'm gonna go downstairs for just a minute ok, I need to check on the kids and get you some water." She sighed. "Is that ok?"

"That is fine with me Jacey." The brunette nodded and flashed a small smile. "Give my Monkey a hug for me please."

 **March 5, 2015**

"I'm killing them _all_." Aleksandr slammed his hands on his glass desk, watching as it shattered beneath his large hands. He couldn't even explain is level anger. It had reached a point beyond anything he had ever felt before. All he was seeing was red and all he knew was that he needed to handle two of the men who had grabbed his daughter Brianna. "They're all dead. They had a hand in my daughter being kidnapped, _raped_ and tortured. I had to watch the woman I love fall to pieces after seeing the shape her daughter was in. Sariya cried! Broke down! That woman has never cried a moment in her career. She feels pain and empathy. She has had to deliver babies with major health issues and babies who didn't make it… She cried."

Frey nodded his head slowly as he set his glass of scotch on the floor and smirked. "I'm all for this Aleksandr."

"Good." The man stood up and nodded as he buttoned his suit jacket. "I'm glad you're on board with this Frey."

"I wouldn't miss this at all." He shook his head. "That's my sister."

"How about you Elijah?" Aleksandr looked at his friend. "Are you in for some fun?"

Elijah nodded his head slowly as he started to roll up the sleeves of his shirt. "Aleksandr, i wouldn't miss this for the world.

"Good because as soon as we get the time, we're going to handle those fuckers. I have Arseny and Yevgeny babysitting them at a secure location. I want to focus on getting Brianna in a better place before I disappear for a bit to have a little fun." Aleksandr smiled as he eyed the two men before him "If you two don't mind, I have a daughter to get to. She's asked for me and I can't stand her up."

"Give Brianna my love." Elijah patted Aleksandr on the back. "Tell her that I'll be by her home when she's ready to accept guests."

"I'll let her know." He nodded his head. "I'll be in touch, _very_ soon."

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"Brianna." Aleksandr moved into the dark room and straight for the figure sitting in the chair in front of the window, dropping his large hand softly to her shoulder, tensing as she jumped beneath him. "It's ok Brianna. It's just me."

"Dad." Brianna sighed as she rested her hand on top of his and sniffled. "I hurt so much dad. Mentally and physically. Look at me. Look at what they did to me! All over some bullshit grudge about guns." She shook her head as she looked up at him. "I'm never going to be the same. I'm ruined!"

He dropped to his knees before her and rested his hands on her knees. "Baby, baby don't say that. You're not ruined. You're not going to be the same but you're going to be better. A better version of yourself."

"Yeah, right…" She shook her head frantically. "Dad! I'm fucking ruined. Look at me! Look at my face! Look at my body! Look at my back! Do you know it took Sariya plus two other doctors to finish stitching my back up!? Do you know how many tests I was subject to? How many STDs I was tested for and how it pains me to even walk right. I'm in more pain now than I was in when I was giving birth to the twins. They stole something from me, something I can never fucking give back. I don't even know if I'll be able to be intimate with Jackson again. Dad, I'm fucking broken!"

Aleksandr nodded as he pulled the brunette into his arms, careful of her back as he felt her tears start to soak his shirt. "Baby, baby." He shook his head. "I'm going to kill everyone who had a hand in this Brianna. I fucking promise, do you hear me? Huh? I know it's not going to take away the pain and the abuse you suffered but it will ensure that you never had to deal with this shit again. Not at their hands. Not at anyone's hands. I love you my dear."

"I love you too dad." She wrapped her arms tightly around him and nodded. "I'm just so scared. I don't want this to happen again. I can't even go out the front door. Not at all." She pulled away and looked at him. "Dad, please don't leave. Don't go far, ok?"

"I'm here. I'm not going further than Sariya who's next door babying your husband to be." Aleksandr smiled at her. "You don't have to worry about anything. You'll always be safe Brianna. From now on. I'm sorry I failed you. I love you."

"I love you so much." She wrapped herself back around him and sniffed. "I'm not letting you leave at all."

* * *

 **Yeah, I know it's been a while, sorry for the wait. I've been busy and figuring out how to piece this together was a bit of a headache that I stepped away from for a bit. But I do need you all to know that some of the action is over in CH115 of Trite Escapism by Outlawqueeenn. So, go read that chapter. It's over 6000 words of loveliness and may fill in some gaps. ;) and don't worry, the suits will have their fun in the next chapter. Aleksandr just needs to make sure that his baby Brianna is taken care of first.**


	71. Baby

**March 7, 2015**

"Baby, baby." Jax moved towards the brunette, his hands instantly cupping her face as his eyes scanned over the various cuts, bruises and stitches that covered her face. "Babe… Brianna." He shook his head and furrowed his brow. He had been going crazy over the last few days. He wanted to be at the brunette's side but she had made it clear that she wanted some time and space to herself. That had driven him into the depths of despair. He had drowned his emotions with alcohol. Wondering what the brunette was up to and how she was holding up. "Brianna."

"Jackson." Bri wrapped her arms around the man tightly, burying her face in his neck as she choked back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I missed you… I'm so sorry baby. I'm sorry."

"For what?" He looked down at her and shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong Brianna. Listen to me, you didn't do anything wrong. Don't apologize, you don't need or have to babe. I should've protected you more. I should've been better to you and for you Brianna. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry that I kept you away." She shook her head as she covered her face. 'I just didn't know how to handle it all. I didn't know what to do. I still don't know what to do Jax. I still feel broken, like a piece of me is gone and I'll never fucking get it back… I hate _this_ feeling so much babe. I just want it to go away. I wanna be myself again."

Jax rubbed his face before pulling the brunette into a tight embrace, his lips ghosting over her forehead as he rubbed her back to soothe her. "You'll be yourself again, new and improved. It'll just take time. Time we can use positively babe. I'll help you through this, I promise. I love you and I'm so sorry that this shit happened to you. The guys, the guys that did this, they're gone. They can never come back and hurt you again. You're safe now Brianna. You're safe."

"I don't know." Bri sobbed as she held on tightly to the man, not wanting to let him go at all. "I don't want you to leave my side Jax. I'm still so scared… I hate this shit. What if there's someone out there just waiting to finish the job? I can't go through that shit again! I can't! I can't do it Jackson! I _can't_."

"I won't." He shook his head as he looked down at her. "I'll let my VP take over for me. I'll be at your side Brianna. I love you and no one is going to come after you. We're all on alert and we don't plan on taking our eyes off of you. You won't have to go through it again baby."

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 **.**

"How's she doing now that she's back home?" Aleksandr asked as he looked at Jax. "Better? Worse? Quiet?"

"Jumpy." Jax shook his head and looked over at the sofa where the brunette was sleeping. "Keeps checking the security system every fifteen minutes. She's a mess. I don't think I've ever seen her not put together. She didn't even want me to leave her alone when she took a shower earlier. Wanted the shower doors to stay open… I'm genuinely worried about her."

"It's to be expected. She went through a lot. I know we don't really know every little detail but from what I pulled out of Sariya, it was a whole lot worse on day one…" Aleksandr trailed off. "She didn't want to see us, she thought we'd blame ourselves for what happened to her. She didn't want to have to deal with that on top of the healing process."

"Jesus…" He shook his head, he didn't need to hear anymore. He knew what Aleksandr was saying. "No wonder she feels broken. I just hate seeing her like this. I don't like it and I just want to do everything I can to help her with this shit. I hate that all of this shit happened to her. It was pointless and senseless. They could've went about it a new way. They didn't have to do that shit to her. She didn't fucking deserve it."

"She didn't deserve it." Aleksandr sighed. "Is she going back next door?"

"Yeah." Jax nodded slowly. "I think she still needs a few more days with Jacey. I don't have a problem with it. Whatever is going to help her get better and start moving in the right direction. I just want her to be happy. That woman is my life."

"I'm fine." Bri looked between the men. "I don't have to go back if you don't want me to… I just wanted to max out my invitation at Hotel Lowman. Get in my time with Jacey, annoy Happy a bit, let the kids bond…"

"If you want to stay then do it." Jax smiled at the brunette as he reached forward and grabbed her hands. "We want what's best for you Brianna."

"I'll just be over there for a little longer." Bri nodded her head slowly. "I know you all want what's best for me but can you all stop tiptoeing around me? It's not going to be helpful if you're just afraid or whatever."

"We're not afraid Brianna." Aleksandr shook his head. "We're not afraid, we're mindful of the healing process you're going through. We're trying here."

"Well stop." Bri shrugged. "I'm broken, I'll get through it, I always do. I can't have the top two men in my life walking around on eggshells when I'm scared out of my mind of the people coming back to finish what they started. I need you two, to be on your best game yet because I want to be able to take a shower with the door closed. I want to be able to walk from my house _next door_ to Jacey's and not have to have escorts with me! I need you guys to do what it is that you two do. Dad, you go choke some people out, Jax, you go shoot some people. Find whoever did this to me and make them pay!"

"We're on it." Aleksandr looked at his daughter. "We have the guys, believe me they're going to pay. We just need them to lead us to the woman… The woman who did this to you Brianna. I need you to understand that we're all doing what needs to be done to help you… I just have one question. You remember Max's grandson… Ivan?"

"Yeah, what about him?" Bri looked at him. "Was he in on this!?"

"I don't know, he was in the warehouse with the first guy. He helped Jacey, told us where you were being held." Jax sighed. "He's still alive, we haven't killed him at all. He's being babysat by Frey and Igor. They're taking turns."

"Well, if he helped then leave him be." Bri shrugged. "Keep eyes on him at all times, maybe he'll mess up and lead you back to who you need to find… I just want you guys to do what you can. I don't want to be afraid to leave the house anymore. I know it's only been a few days but still. I want to be able to breathe a little easier. Right now I can't do that. I'm just worried about my babies now… Like what if they go after them! Since they couldn't finish me off! What if they try to go after the babies and send a message!"

"Bri…" Jax stood up and pulled the brunette into a hug. "Take a deep breath babe… Take a few deep breaths. No one is going to touch any of the kids. I promise you that babe. Relax, just relax a little bit and I need you to do that for me."

"I'm relaxing." She pulled out of the hug and shook her head. "I have to go back to my babies. Walk me back next door. I need to be with them. I shouldn't have left."

"I'll walk you." He nodded. "I'll walk you back Brianna, just be calm."

 **March 8, 2015**

"You got ouchies." Creed touched his mom's face. "Kisses for you!"

"Lots of kisses for me?" Bri smiled at the little boy. "I would love lots and lots of kisses from you my love. You have so good kisses baby."

He giggled as he peppered her face in wet kisses. "All better."

"I am!" She nodded. "Go play with Kol. I gotta feed these little fatties that you call brothers."

"Mom." Monica walked into the living room and sighed. "Mommy…"

"Yeah my love." Bri smiled at the brunette. "Yeah, you can sit on my lap and I'll play with your hair. You can feed the babies. They're on bottles right now."

"Love you." Monica sighed again as she sat in her mom's lap. "So much."

"Baby, you're like me." Bri braided her daughter's hair. "I'm going to be fine. I promise you baby. I promise you."

"I know but still. I'm worried about you." The twelve year old shook her head. "So worried."

Bri nodded her head slowly. "I know you're worried and I know that you're going to continue to worry because it's what we do but I want you to know that I'm on a path to healing and getting better. Nothing will stop me from getting better and getting through this. I was a bit roughed up but it'll heal. I'll heal."

"I believe you." Monica hugged her mom tightly and nodded. "I knew it was serious when my dad looked upset for a slight moment when I asked about you being here and hiding out in his room with Jacey…"

"I am sorry." She kissed her daughter's forehead and wiped away the tears. "I didn't mean to scare you and I don't mean to have you worrying about me Monkey. I love you and I wouldn't lie to you. I'm getting through this. I just need lots of love and all of my babies. Your dad was upset because I'm his best friend and he's protective of me."

"Yeah, I know he's protective of you. Your his _priss_ , if anything really seriously happened to you then he'd kinda be lost. Who else would bug him to death? Besides me?" Monica laughed. "I love you mom, so much. I'd die if anything serious happened to you. You know that? Maybe I'll move back when you go back… I wanna be close to you."

"Relax babe." Bri laughed. "You don't have to come home, I know you love it here. Your Ashtyn is here. We can just have more sleepovers and whatnot. It'll be good for us. More bonding time. I'm excited for it. We can even start planning your birthday."

"I love you. I want my birthday at an arcade." Monica rested her head on her mom's shoulder. "It'll be a family thing. Everyone has to come, even Aunt Nik! She has to come too. No excuses from her or I'll never talk to her again."

"We'll give her an advance invite, she won't be able to wiggle out of it." Bri sighed. "Nik is a roamer. They just love to roam. I don't like it but it's what makes them happy and what makes their family work. They'll settle down eventually."

"Good." Monica nodded as she trailed her fingers through her mom's hair. "I'm glad you finally got your brown hair back. I was beginning to think I'd have to force you to get rid of the black. It just made you look more pale than you already are."

"How about you and I lay in bed now that the fatties are fed?" Bri smiled. "I'll cuddle you just like old times. I promise."

"I'd like that." Monica stood up and smiled. "I love you."

"I know." Bri nodded. "I've heard more I love yous since this has happened than I had previously heard in months." She chuckled as she placed each sleeping baby into their rightful bassinets. "Now, let's cuddle. Just like old times. I'll play with your hair, you can talk to me about boys. Back then you'd gush over Grayson. You remember the night you cried for an hour because he liked Cali and not you?"

"Do not even get me started on Gray. He reached out and everything." The twelve year old groaned as she cuddled up to her mom. "He asked me how I was doing and if my crazy had left yet."

"Oh, so the crazy is just a visitor? Overstaying their welcome?" Bri shook her head as she trailed her fingers over her daughter's scalp softly. "What's up with Hunter? What about Nicholas, tell me everything. Distract me until we fall asleep."

"Hunter is a thing of the past, he is dating Isabella now. It's so annoying because she's so fake. She told me Hunter and I looked amazing next to each other and would make a power couple in the future. Like in middle school next year but then I told her we weren't an item and she went and got with him. What kind of friend is that? Do girls just do that to each other?" Monica shook her head. "Nicholas is cool. I love hanging out with him and talking to him. He's kinda bad though, he's always getting in trouble so I don't know what to actually do about it… Like I know I should distance myself but he's so awesome to be around and he never does anything bad when we're together. It's just when we're apart."

"Fuck Isabella." Bri chuckled. "You don't need a friend like that in your life. There will be so many more of those types of girls in your future. You just need to find a girl that sends good vibes. If you want my opinion, I would leave Nick alone and just find someone else in the future… Take it from me, you'll be trying your hardest to get him to stop being bad but it won't work and it'll take something major like near death or a hefty jail sentence to get him to shape up and start acting right. He can treat you amazingly while you're together and hanging out but it's still going to affect you if he gets caught up with is shit. Plus, you're twelve. You're a kid, you should be enjoying life and not having to worry about the boy you like getting in major trouble."

"You're such a mom. I love you." Monica laced their fingers together, her thumbs running over her mom's knuckles before she sighed. "I'm glad they brought you back home to me. I can't lose you mom. I need you. There's still so much you gotta teach me and if you didn't make it home, I don't even think I would've continued on."

"Baby, I'm here now with you. We're laying together, we're cuddling. I'm always going to make it home to you. I'll always be here for you Monica. I don't plan on leaving until I've lived a long and fulfilling life. At least to age like ninety." Bri wiped Monica's tears away and smiled. "Let's get to sleep. We're going to have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I'm going to try to go out, to get some fries from McDonald's. If I can't get out of the front door, we'll just send Igor or Frey or whoever is available. I love you."

"I love you too." Monica snuggled up closer to her mom and nodded. "I'm not letting you go, if you wake up, I wake up."

The brunette nodded and smiled. "I know, just like old times… Sweet dreams Monkey."

* * *

 **Yes, I know, the update took FOREVER but I was honestly lacking muse to write but I think I've gotten it back and I can't wait to bang out the next few chapters. Thank you all for your patience and thanks in advance for any feedback you leave behind. This was a short chapter but it's the start of Bri's healing process. That's going to be a journey, especially for the men in her life as they try to right the wrongs that were done to her. So, bear with me and I promise you won't be disappointed at all.**


	72. Retail Therapy

**March 14, 2015**

Brianna Hohrykova sighed as she put on another coat of mascara to her already long eye lashes. It was the first time in weeks that she had put any effort into her appearance. To be honest it was the first time that she had felt up to the challenge of her usual makeup routine. Now, however, that she took a good look at her reflection in the mirror, nothing but a fake smile was plastered on her face as the visible bruises and cuts stared back at her. "Okay, you can do this Brianna. You are strong. You are gorgeous. I am afraid of _nothing_."

"Mom." Creed wrapped his arms around the brunette's leg and smiled up at her. "Hi mom!"

"Hey baby." She looked down at him before lifting him up and hugging him. "What are you doing? Do you want to come with me and your aunt Jacey? We're going shopping."

"Yes." He nodded his head slowly as he tapped his fingers on her face. "I wanna go with you mom."

"You can come with." She kissed his forehead and smiled. "Look at all this hair. You're looking like your daddy. It's perfect."

"Nooo." He shook his head. "Look like you."

"I wish." She chuckled as she rested her forehead against his. "Let's get your hair in a cute little bun baby." She trailed her comb through his hair before dropping it. "Even more perfect. Let's go find your aunt."

"Kitchen." Creed laughed. "In the kitchen."

"Yeah?" She smiled. "Alright, let's go get her out of the kitchen." She moved out of the room, slowly taking the stairs one by one. "You look too handsome." She kissed him as she moved into the kitchen and cleared her throat. "Jacey."

The blonde looked back from the stove and smiled briefly. "My true love, hi. What are you two doing?" She turned back around, taking the pan off of the stove and setting it on the cutting board behind her. "Creed, what was the baby doing when you saw her last?"

"Sleeping." Creed nodded. "Sleepy baby."

Jacey nodded her head. "Oh, is she being lazy again?" She smiled. "Do you want anymore french toast?"

"No thanks." He shook his head. "JJ!"

She nodded again and emptied the pan onto a separate plate before dropping the pan in the sink. "We're going to make your uncle wash that while we go shopping, ok? She rounded the island, kissing Bri's cheek. "Good morning, baby."

"Morning." Bri smiled. "He is excited to be coming along with us."

Jacey smiled and nodded her head. "Oh, you're coming with us? You don't mind if Ashtyn comes too, do you?" She kissed his cheek. "You're such a handsome little devil."

"No I don't." Creed shook his head. "My sleepy baby!"

She laughed and shook her head. "She's yours? Oh. You should probably tell your mom that then."

"He's hit that wonderful mine stage a bit early." Bri chuckled. "Everything and everyone is his."

Jacey nodded her head as she took the toddler from her sister. "I'll tell you what, babylove. You say her name and give her kisses to wake her up, she's all yours. Do we have a deal?"

"Ash." Creed smirked at the blonde. "My Ash!"

The blonde shook her head slowly. "Ashtyn. Now if you can say her whole name, she can definitely keep her because that's a pretty nice task." She smirked at her nephew.

"Ashtyn." Creed smiled. "My Ashtyn."

"Ha. He played you Jacey." Bri smirked at her sister. "Look at his satisfied smirk."

The blonde started laughing. "Ok Jackson junior. You need to say Ashtyn Christiana, since you think you're so smart." She kissed his forehead. "Show me what ya got, handsome."

"Ashtyn 'Ana." He nodded proudly. "Not Jackson!"

Jacey nodded her head as she squatted in front of the baby's swing. "Christiana. You can even sleep in her co-sleeper tonight and cuddle her if you can do it." She kissed his cheek. "Creed Teller. The one and only."

"I think he's over it." Bri shook her head. "Look at his face. He's just like 'i did my best what more do you want from me?'."

The blonde nodded and smiled. "He knows he won though. You can give her the kisses now, babe." She set Creed on the floor before she got Ashtyn out of the swing. "She loves kisses, ya know?"

"Kisses for my baby." Creed kissed Ashtyn's head. "Mine."

The blonde smiled and nodded her head. "My baby but your baby cousin." She looked back at Bri. "You want to eat anything before we leave? I'm thinking about going to expand our vacation homes list."

"Nah, I'm not hungry." Bri shook her head. "Lovely. I am always up for house shopping."

Jacey nodded again and stood up, moving to the couch where Bri was sitting. "Are you sure? We can just go to the malls and see what we can find then if you're up for it, we'll go see what Hap's up to at studio with all of his other children."

"I'm sure. I'm not hungry." She smiled. "I'm up for a busy day today. It's been too long since my last one. I need to get out of the house and back into society."

Jacey shook her head. "No I meant are you sure about a road trip to Monterey. Sorry, I'm off the charts these days. I just want to be everywhere." She laughed a little. "I'm also meeting with a realtor at three at this house so hopefully I get another house that I can decorate, I'll need your help too." She kissed Bri's head. "If you're ready I am and before you say anything, I'm wearing makeup because I'd like to look presentable when meeting the realtor."

"Yeah, I'm sure about it." Bri nodded her head slowly as she stood up. "I think you look gorgeous but what's new? I always think you look gorgeous. You spend more money than me. I'm telling dad on you."

Jacey started laughing. "I do not, I spend just enough. Be lucky I'm not getting a matching car and Hap a matching Harley. Although, he's getting one for father's day." She shrugged her shoulders. "You can tell dad, just don't call mother. She'll hit me with timeout again."

"I may text her on the way there." She chuckled. "Nah. I think you're starting to spend more money than me now that you have your little photography empire steadily growing."

Jacey smiled and shrugged. "I don't know what it is, I just love shopping." She adjusted her daughter in her arms. "Come on, let's go. I'm also getting glares from my little blonde baby."

"Shopaholic." Bri smirked as she lifted up Creed. "My little angry baby. I love him so much."

The blonde shrugged again. "Be proud, I'm finally the person you can support and appreciate fully." She smirked. "He just wants his baby."

"I always support and appreciate you." Bri smiled. "He has two fat babies he can dote on. Mase and Noah." She shook her head. "He's such a hog. Just wants all the babies to himself. He's like me and dad. It's a shame but cute."

Jacey shook her head. "Dad is horrible about getting the babies to himself. He's gonna be so happy when she gets on bottles. It'll be amazing. I just hope Creed doesn't try to kidnap her. Right handsome?"

"No." Creed shook his head. "Bad JJ!"

"Gotta love the fact that he's learning to talk a whole lot more." Bri laughed. "My precious little Creed."

Jacey started laughing. "How am I bad? Huh? You can't kidnap Ashtyn, baby. I need her with me."

"She's super bad." Bri murmured to Creed. "Almost as bad as your aunt Nik."

The blonde scoffed. "I am not! I am so good." She moved into the foyer, placing Ashtyn in her car seat before buckling the baby girl in and adjusting the baby's blanket. "All settled, let's go. Creed, do you mind using Kol's car seat?"

"Nik is bad." Creed shook his head as he slid down his mom's body. "Where's my Kol?"

Jacey's eyes moved between her sister and nephew. "He's with his dad, baby. They're on the other side of town."

"Oh no." He poked out his bottom lip. "My Kol."

"He's obsessed." Bri shrugged as she got into the car. "That's his best friend."

Jacey leaned forward, kissing the toddler's forehead. "I'm sorry, my love. Happy wanted to spend time with Kol for the day since we're going shopping. If you want, we can go see them and if you wanna stay with Kol and Hap, you most certainly can. Cami's there too."

"No." He shook his head. "I'll stay here."

Jacey shrugged. "Here? With Frey? He's the only one here baby."

"With you JJ!" Creed sighed. "You! Mom! Ashtyn 'Ana!"

The blonde nodded her head. "Ok baby, we're going shopping. Are you good with those plans?"

"Yes." He nodded. "It's good."

"I can't wait to spend some money. Hopefully this retail therapy session pulls me out of my funk. I'm just ready to be my old self again." Bri smiled. "I brought all my cards and lots of cash."

Jacey started laughing as she placed Ashtyn's car seat on the base. "Ok one is in, you got Creed?" She smiled at her daughter. "Hi beautiful. I sure as hell hope you like Creed because you're his now." She kissed the baby girl's nose before wiping her red lipstick off of her tan skin.

"Yup." Bri nodded as she strapped Creed into the seat. "My handsome little man. I love him so much. My little Jax."

Jacey got into the driver's seat before looking back at Creed. "Ok my love, if she pokes out her little lip, give her this." She passed him a neon blue pacifier. "Can you do that?"

"Yes." Creed smiled. "I can."

The blonde started the SUV and put her sunglasses on. "Ok babies are good, diaper bag, actual babies, and my sister." She mumbled to herself. "I'm doing good. Wait! Where's my purse and wallet?! Nevermind nevermind, it's in the back."

"We're going on a roadtrip." Bri pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her legs. "I'm so excited."

Jacey looked at her sister and smiled. "I'm glad we're doing this. I miss you and I really only like road trips with you. Frey and Igor whine because I won't let them drive, Dmitri tries to take Ashtyn out of her seat to cuddle her and well you sing to me and we play foolish games." She laughed a little.

"I miss you too." Bri laughed. "Frey and Igor can't be trusted to drive. They suck so badly."

Jacey started laughing. "Thank you! They just argue with me when I try to tell them that."

"Frey tries to drive the car like he stole it and Igor kinda drives like a grandma when the car is full." Bri shook her head. "Such messes, I swear."

She nodded her head. "He's only responsible and good when his child is in the car. Both of them are like that."

"They're good people though." The brunette nodded her head slowly. "I miss them."

Jacey nodded. "They love their babies and I love more than anything watching and listening to Camryn and Igor fight. Do you even know how amazing it is? He'll get mad and start speaking in Russian and she just glares at him."

"Aw." Bri smiled. "The babies!"

She smiled. "It's almost like when Hap and Kol get into it. You saw it the other night. Too much alike."

"I think it's so perfect." Bri nodded. "I want someone to have quality time like that with. You and I can't argue because it goes above and beyond."

Jacey shook her head. "We argue all the time. Every time you try to steal my baby. Well any of them. I'll still drag your ass if you steal that baby girl back there." She smirked at Bri."

"Not in the way they do. Like their arguments are cute. Everyone always waits to see if our arguments will escalate and end with a break up." Bri shrugged her shoulders as she looked at the blonde. "It's insane."

She shrugged. "I know, I know. People always ask how long we dated for." She laughed. "The guys still think I cheat on Hap with you."

"It's weird." She laughed and nodded her head as she looked at Jacey. "I love you though. I'm glad we're close."

The blonde shrugged again, pulling into the mall parking lot. "I just tell them that we're just fighting the feelings but they know you knocked me up with Ashtyn." She smirked at Bri. "I love you too, Petra."

"Petra." Bri laughed. "Remind me to call our mom later."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Babe, I love you so much but her name is Sariya, quit calling her Petra before she beats your ass and I totally have faith that she can beat your ass just like dad can."

"Her middle name is Petra." Bri shrugged. "She knows I have nothing but love for her."

Jacey found a parking spot and parked her SUV before she looked at Bri. "She stole my son the other day, just took him right from me and left the studio." She laughed. "She's literally dad's other half… I love her so much."

"She's obsessed with Kol, Cam and Ashtyn. It's amazing. I love watching her and dad dote on the babies." Bri smiled. "I'm also happy that dad has her in his life. She's just what he needed for himself."

The blonde shook her head. "I have no idea why, they're all little shits. Camryn is too quiet, she's killing me. I need that girl to open up again, Kol's a too cuddly monster and well her, I've got nothing yet. She's not even a month old yet." She laughed. "They're perfect together, absolutely amazing."

"I love them so much. All the babies in the family. I can't wait until they're old enough to go on family trips. See how much trouble they can come up on vacation. Given that Monica may be off away, maybe at college." Bri sighed. "Never mind, I don't even wanna think about my baby leaving us. Especially that little brunette in the backseat."

The blonde got out of the driver's seat and moved to the very back, getting her stroller out and opening it up before she moved to the backseat and got Ashtyn out of the car. "I can't believe my baby is six, that's enough for me. I thought I made a deal, my soul for her youth." She laughed.

"I just want panties from Victoria's." Bri smiled as she lifted Creed out of the seat and set him to his feet. "My big boy is gonna try walking all the way to the front doors by himself."

Jacey set the car seat on the stroller before taking the baby's pacifier from her. "Eh, I'm not worried about that right now. There's this giant stuffed elephant that I'm getting for my tiny love and I want to look at baby clothes." She smiled.

"Elephant." Creed looked back at his aunt and smiled. "Hi JJ!"

The blonde blew her nephew a kiss as she pushed the stroller towards the front doors. "Hi my sweet love. You know what I've always wondered, B? Why he and I are so close…"

"That one?" She pointed to Creed. "Because blondes stick together and he loves him some aunt JJ. He also loves that you give his dad hell."

"That's my JJ." Creed squeezed Jacey's thigh. "Love you!"

The blonde laughed as she stopped and picked up the toddler. "I love you so much. Why can't I just keep your handsome little ass?"

"I keep you." He rested his forehead against hers. "Ok? I live with you now!"

"First Monica, now Creed!" Bri shook her head. "Stealing my babies one at a time I see Jacey."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Just you wait, Javier's next. He loves his wife, all I have to do is wave my pretty little baby in front of him with cuddles, dimpled smiles and a plate of PB&J's and Cheetos."

"If you try to steal my twins, then I'll have to pop you." Bri nodded her head slowly. "They're the last of the brood. Although I do want a little blonde daughter with Jax."

She flashed a smirk at Bri. "Oh really? You sure you wanna pop off little threats like that?" She blew Bri a kiss. "You already know I'll drag you. Creed, what are you shopping for today?"

"Cars." He nodded. "Blue cars!"

Jacey nodded her head. "Well, we'll see what we can find in the toy store, huh?" She kissed his cheek before wiping her red lipstick off of his face as she guided the stroller through the food court.

"Look at you, looking like a fine ass single mom with your twin and the brunette." Brianna chuckled. "Go 'head girl. Get your shop on."

The blonde smirked as she shook her head. "Would you hush? People would probably thinking I'm holding my child and that's yours in there." She gestured to Ashtyn and she started smiling. "Hi gorgeous, I'm surprised you're awake again."

"Or that we're a gorgeous lesbian couple, out shopping with our children. A blonde to match you and a brunette to match me." Bri laughed. "See, that's the most logical explanation."

Jacey nodded her head, smirking at Bri. "I knew you were in love with me. It's ok, babe, I think you're pretty fucking great. I'd so marry you." She rolled her eyes. "Creed, you're heavy. What do you eat?"

"Snacks." Creed nodded. "I walk now JJ!"

The blonde stopped and nodded her head. "Alright, alright. Give me kisses first and hold your mama's hand."

"Kiss, kiss." He peppered her face with kisses before giggling. "Ok!"

Jacey smiled as she eased the toddler to his feet before standing upright again. "I love you so damn much, you handsome little piece of perfection." She groaned, looking at Bri. "I just can't help it, I love him so so so much."

"My little lady killer." Bri grabbed her son's hand and smiled. "I love him with Javi the most. He's so attached to his big brother, it's insane. It makes me want to make sure the shit with Jax and Juice never surfaces when the kids are older. It'd be terrible."

The blonde nodded her head. "Imagine if it does. They both have the same ridiculous tempers that their dads have, it could be ugly. Luckily they are so damn close though. Wonder how Creed will behave when Javi goes off to college or just grows up and wants to be with his wife all the time." She smiled. "Let's go in Coach."

"If it surfaces, I will have to force Juice and Jax to kiss and make up because the last thing the world needs is another Ortiz and another Teller at odds with one another. They've gotten to a civil level and Jax has been leaving Juice alone, so I'm blessed with that." Bri smiled as they walked into the store. "Let the retail therapy begin."

 **.**

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 **.**

"Why did you let me spend so much money Creed?" Bri shook her head as she looked at all of the shopping bags that covered the floor in the guest room before looking over at Creed who was splayed out on the large bed, Noah and Mason at each of his sides. "Baby, you just let me go crazy with the shopping… I do feel better though."

Creed looked up at his mom and shrugged his tiny little shoulders and smiled. "I'm sleepy."

"Take your nap then." She smiled back at him as she toed off her shoes. "I'm going to just talk to the twins and blame them for my spending habits a little bit before I feed them."

"Shh, I'm sleep." Creed opened his left eye to look at his mom. "No talking!"

"Excuse me then." Bri whispered as she placed Mason and Noah into their swings and watched them for a bit before walking out of the room, spotting her oldest son coming out of the bathroom. "Javi baby…"

"Mommy." Javier moved to the woman and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you all day!"

"I missed you too." She lifted him up and kissed his forehead. "I went shopping and I know how much you hate going to the mall with me. Did you have fun with Camryn and Monica today? Did your sister try to dress you up again?"

"I hate shopping." He stuck out his tongue and shook his head. "I had fun but no she didn't try to dress me up again. She just put all this gunk in my hair and now my hair isn't soft anymore. I don't like it at all mom."

The brunette smiled. "I'll wash your hair for you and get all of that out." She nodded as she walked back into the bathroom. "It'll be soft again. Is that what you were trying to do? Get it out of your hair? I'll tell her not to put anymore in it. Are you excited to see your dad this weekend?"

"Yes, I was trying to get it out." He sighed as he set down on the counter. "I just like my soft hair back. I want it to look like Elijah's hair, not like whatever this is!" He nodded. "I am excited to see him. He says he has a surprise for me and I like surprises."

"We'll get you back to luscious black hair again babe." Bri nodded as she wrapped a towel around his neck before laying him across the sink, making sure his hair was directly under the faucet as she started massaging shampoo into his hair. "Don't fall asleep on me. I missed you and wanna talk to you my love."

"I won't fall asleep." He shook his head as he looked up at her and smiled. "Mom. I want you to know that I love you and I will protect you ok? I know a bad thing happened to you and I promise it won't happen again, ok? Ok? I'm gonna protect you. Dad says we always need to protect the women that mean the most to us and you mean the world to me. Ok?"

Bri swallowed the lump and her throat and nodded her head as she smiled down at him. "Ok baby. I know you're going to protect me and nothing bad is going to happen to me. I got in a fight and I got beat up so bad but I'm getting better. I think my face is healing nicely, what do you think babe?"

"Who beat you up? I will beat them up!" He nodded. "You are looking better, the black eyes are going away mom."

"I don't know." She shrugged. "She beat me up and stole my car. I tried to fight back but she was stronger. That's why we're here though. Jacey is the hardest hitter I know, so I've been asking her for fighting tips so I can fight off anyone else that tries to steal one of my cars."

"She stole your car!? Which one!? Not my Rolls!" Javier sighed and shook his head. "It was the Rolls huh mom? I haven't seen it at all."

"Yup, she took the Rolls." Bri shook her head slowly, poking out her bottom lip. "Now we gotta find it and get it back. Then send her to jail for being a bad girl and stealing my car and beating me up. Papa is looking for her, Elijah, Frey, Igor, Jax, Happy, your dad. They're all looking for her so we can give her the right punishment. Remember how I tell you that you get what you put out?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I remember."

"She put out bad vibes, so now she's going to get bad vibes." Bri slowly ran her fingers over Javier's scalp. "We'll find her and get the car back though. I know you had your heart set on getting it when you turned sixteen." She laughed as she sat him up and kissed his forehead. "There you are my love, soft and silky hair again. You're looking kinda sleepy."

"Awesome." Javier ran his fingers through his hair and smiled widely at his mom. "I am sleepy, you know I get sleepy when you play with my hair mom." He moved forward and jumped on his mom, wrapping his limbs around her tightly, peppering kisses all over her face. "Cuddle me please mom."

"Anything for you Javier Aleksandr." The brunette moved out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom she was sleeping in during her stay at Hotel Lowman. "Let's cuddle and I'll play with your hair some more. I will hold you close for now and always. Ok my dear?" She smiled as she laid on the bed next to Creed. "Your brother is snoring."

"He always does." He nodded as she snuggled up against his mom. "This is why I like falling asleep before him when he stays in my room with me."

Bri smirked as she pulled the blankets over them. "He's attached to you, he just wants to follow after you. It's cute." She chuckled, her hands lazily tracing circles over her son's back. "Just give into the sleep babe. It'll be easier if you do. We can wake up in the morning and talk a whole lot more. I'm not going anywhere."

Javier yawned and nodded. "I love you mama, sweet dreams."

"I love you too babe." She smiled to herself. "Sweet dreams. I'll see you when you wake up."

* * *

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the amazing feedback on the last chapter. So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because it was fun to write and fun to see where Bri's head is at. Next chapter, she will be back in the Fortress, hanging out with Jax as they go through this process together. So, I'm excited for that. I do hope you guys like Bri and her babies together. There's going to be a whole lot more of her doting on them constantly as she works through everything and gets to the point where she's her usual ass kicking self. :)**


	73. Alarm

**March 19, 2015**

"Jax." Bri mumbled as she wrapped herself around the man and sighed. She had left her sister's home abruptly but it was for the best. She knew she was putting a strain on Jacey and the last thing she wanted was for her younger sister to be in as bad as shape as herself. So in usual fashion, she put on a strong face, packed up her kids and moved back to her home. The home that sat a hundred feet to the left of her sister's home. "I missed you baby."

"I missed you too." Jax held the brunette to him tightly, his blue hues on her face as she stared at him. "I missed you like crazy. I missed the kids like crazy. Are you staying here for good?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head slowly as she looked around the open living room and smiled faintly. "Why did I ever design this house this way? There are so many windows… So many vulnerable points. We need to up the security."

He nodded his head as he looked around the room, his brows knitted together in concern as he listened to the brunette rattle off a list of things that were wrong with their home. "I will have Juice take a look at the security, I'll have a friend check out the gate but I don't know about the windows, maybe reinforce them… Bulletproof glass." He grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him and locking her body against his. "I know that you're still shaken up over what happened but I need you to relax a little bit. Take a few breaths, we'll get the house the needed security updates. What do you want done first?"

"The gate." She looked up at him and smiled. "Higher, stronger, better than it is now. I don't want anyone to be able to see the bottom level of the home from the street. I have to fortify the Fortress Jax. I want this to be the safest place in the _world_."

"Have you ever thought about this? The fact that they grabbed you at your clinic and not your home? Maybe they couldn't figure out how to get onto the property without triggering the alarms. They knew where you'd be vulnerable." He shook his head as he laced their fingers together. "Brianna, as long as we're here together, no one is going to get to you."

"No." She shook her head as she studied his face carefully. "I still want to up the security of our home. I don't want to take any chances."

"I can respect that." Jax smiled as he pulled the brunette towards the sofa and dropped down, keeping her against him. "Just relax and it'll be fun. I promise."

"I'm relaxed." She smiled as she settled back against him. "We need to think about the wedding."

"Or we can just lay here and be lazy, think about the wedding later. In a few weeks." He shook his head. "We gotta focus on you getting better… Not you distracting yourself and trying to make all of us think you're okay because you're planning the wedding."

"I need a distraction, you don't understand Jackson. I was kidnapped, I was beaten, I was assaulted… I need something to take my mind off of everything that's happened. It's the only way I'll come out on the other side of this. I need to get through it. Talking to the doctor isn't going to do it… I'll keep talking but I need more." She sighed. "I have a constant reminder of what's happened to me on my back. I have these wounds that are healing on my face. I don't even like looking in the mirror and you know how much I love mirrors." She chuckled softly. "I love mirrors Jax…"

"You do need a distraction but not one that'll stress you out like planning the wedding. Immerse yourself in the kids. Be one of those annoying classroom moms that bring the snacks every Friday and scrutinize the other moms for being too busy to volunteer or too lazy to cook so they just bring store bought cupcakes." He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her lips. "Get a nice and healthy distraction. Not a bad one."

"Fine, fine." She smiled and nodded. "I'm not going to go off and volunteer in Javi's class or Monica's because that's not a thing at all. I will take up a hobby. I will, I don't know, start a blog or something. About what it's like to go from working mom to stay at home mom. I think that's a big thing on the internet. Or maybe me and the boys will just be lazy bums and stuff."

"I can't see you being a blogger." He shook his head. "Yes, I know what a blogger is. I've spent enough time with Monica to know that she runs a blog and all that good shit."

"That's cute." Bri laughed as she sat up and rested her hands on Jax's face. "I love you so much. You wanna go grab me some snacks though?"

"I will grab you snacks." He nodded his head. "I also gotta let you know that I gotta head into the clubhouse in a few days, just for a few hours to show face, have meetings. I don't need my club thinking I'm stepping down or walking away from them."

"So you're gonna leave me?" She furrowed her brow and nodded her head slowly. "I guess that's fine."

"Brianna…" He sighed and shook his head. "Just for a few hours. Do you wanna come with me? It's been awhile since you've been on the back of the Dyna anyway. You always loved going for rides with me."

"Yes." She nodded and smiled at him. "I do need to go for a ride on the Dyna with you though. It's been way, way too long. We gotta take advantage of the fact that I'm not pregnant and will fit easier."

"Alright, come here crazy. Give me a hug." He smirked at her. "Love you."

"Not crazy." She laughed as she stood up and moved to him, resting against him as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Love you too jerk."

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"Mom." Javier wrapped himself around Bri's legs, looking up at her, a goofy grin on his face. "Guess what?"

Bri looked down at her oldest son and smiled. "What is it baby? You know I'm terrible at playing guessing games."

"Dad is here." Javier nodded his head eagerly. "He's here! He's fixing the security system!"

"What!? Juice is here!? Are you happy about it? Why aren't you following him around huh?" She chuckled as she bent down to pick him up. "You're getting so big, pretty soon I won't be able to pick you up. It'll be you picking me up babe."

He laughed as he pointed towards the entryway. "Dad! Dad! Dad! Look I found mom!"

"Hey Bri." Juice smiled at the brunette. "Jax let me in, he says you want an update for the entire system. So, that's what I'm here for. Is that ok with you?"

She nodded as she set Javier down to his feet. "Yeah, that's good with me. Please, please, don't walk around on eggshells too. I already have enough people doing it. I got my dad, the suits, Jax. I think the only one who's being normal is Happy. So, you be normal to. I'm going to be alright. I'm just getting through it all in my own way."

"Well in that case, you look terrible." He smirked at her. "Not even wearing your usual get up and what's with the hair huh?"

"Jesus." Bri shook her head. "I just woke up. Long night of just not being able to sleep and my hair is this way because I'm going for a new unkept look. You know, the opposite of what I usually am. Oh, think throwback Bri, all the way back to tenth grade when I used to come to school with a bun and in my sweats."

"Baby Bri was admittedly messy as fuck and you were only dressing like that because we had just broken up again and you were going through your emotions and eating everything in sight. Including my lunches. You'd steal them while I was in class and then I'd go to look for them and I'd see you eating the leftover tamales my mom had packed for me." He shook his head. "Horrible, absolutely horrible."

"Whatever, your mom was making sure I was fed. She didn't care about you." She shrugged. "Javier are you going to stay here and entertain your dad or do you wanna come help me with the twins?"

"No, no. She was trying to feed me." Juice chuckled and shook his head. "He can stay with me, I'll teach you some of this stuff J."

"You heard your dad, stay with him and be a little geek monkey." Bri smiled as she kissed Javier's forehead. "If you need me, I'll be in the twins' room, probably getting them dressed and feeding them. Behave."

"I will." Javier kissed his mom back and smiled. "I'm going to learn how to do everything."

"Good, have fun." She nodded before walking off, taking the stairs slowly before walking into the twins' room, her eyes instantly landing on Jax's bare back. "Look at you, being all cuddly with the fatties babe."

"He said _dada_." Jax turned around slowly and smiled. "Mason called me _dada_."

The brunette laughed and nodded her head. "Oh, Mase, you're making your old man smile like a damn idiot baby. What about Noah? He flatter you yet babe?"

"Not yet, that little asshole pissed on me though." He shook his head. "I don't know but I'm just as excited for them saying it as I was for Creed." He chuckled. "But you know what would be more exciting? Hearing a little girl call me _dada_."

"I will cut your balls off right now." Bri rolled her eyes. "Where was that when we talked over me getting my tubes tied? We probably would be pregnant right now."

"We can talk to your mom, see what our options are for getting it reversed." He smiled at her. "I didn't know we'd end up wanting a daughter otherwise I would've told you not to get it."

"We will talk to her but we won't have any more kids until these two are walking and talking." She shrugged. "That's my only condition and we just need to get me through this shit."

"I also finally get to slap my name on your back." He grabbed her hand and smirked. "Can't deny me now."

"Oh yes I can." She tapped to her arm. "Your name is right here, I think that's more than enough, don't you?"

"I'll go to Hap right now and get your face tattooed on my forearm if you get _Property of Jax_ on your right ass cheek. Since that's my favorite one to smack." He laughed and nodded eagerly. "You just turn me into a fool when we're around each other."

"No, I don't turn you into a fool, I just bring your goofy and playful side out." She smirked at him. "Look, I'll get that tattoo, as soon as I feel up for it. I promise my love."

"Guess what?" Jax smiled at the brunette. "We managed to find your Rolls Royce… It's parked in the driveway. I wasn't sure you'd want it sitting at the clubhouse."

"You got my baby back?" She looked at him and smiled. "I missed that car, Javier did too… So, does that mean you guys found the others who did this to me?"

"I think your dad and the suits have the guys. He wanted it to be handled without the help of the Sons." He shook his head. "He said it needed to be handled by them and them alone. It's a Russian vs Irish thing I guess."

"Makes sense." Bri nodded her head slowly before moving to the crib to lift Noah out of it. "My fatty is awake. Look at him, just gumming away on his fist. I missed you and your brother. We've been apart two hours too long." She chuckled. "Don't look at me like that Jax… I love my babies and I want them to be with me at all times."

"No, no. Look at Mase, he's doing the sad face thing babe." He looked down at his son. "She's right there Mase, she's not going anywhere at all. She'll cuddle you in a minute, just keep on rattling off the dadas for me."

The brunette shrugged her shoulders. "Love on him, kiss his forehead and just talk to him. Talk to him about your morning, or the club or your bike. He just loves being talked to all of the time. He's the curious baby."

"Alright kid, I got this cool panhead from a junkyard, all the pieces are there. It just needs a lot of love and work. I guess when you and your brother are old enough you both can help me piece it back together. It's going to take a while to get it up and in running condition but it's worth it. I got to watch my dad build bikes and ride them, since I was five." Jax smiled down at his son. "Babe, he's smiling back at me."

"He just likes listening." Bri chuckled. "Keep talking to him. It's a thing to do. I gotta make Noah do his tummy time. He's been getting fussy over it but he's not sick or anything. He's just lazy and wants to be held."

He nodded as he looked back down at Mason. "You just keep looking around for your mom, she's right there kid. Just wiggle out of my arms already and get her."

"Fat boy Mase." Bri took him and laid him on the floor with Noah before moving back to Jax. "He'll crawl away and Noah will roll over onto his back like a turtle and just flail until Mason helps him roll back onto his stomach. I love them so much. I'm just happy I have the energy these days to love on them and have them love on me too."

"Well, he'll get the hang of it especially when Mase starts walking around and leaving him behind." Jax nodded as he looked down at his sons and smiled before frowning. "You know… I'm shit. I can't even remember when Creed started to crawl or walk."

"Not shit. He just never did either when you were around." The brunette laughed. "He would just stare at you and start back up when you left the room. He was a little shithead to you but he's your oldest, so love on him now and enjoy that he looks more like you than these two right here."

"Second oldest." Jax mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes going to the door just in time to see Creed sneak into the room. "You speak his name and he comes. He's like a little devil huh? Creed come here."

"Hi." Creed moved to his dad and lifted his arms above his head. "Up please dad."

"See, he knows his words a little more." Bri laughed. "He talks a lot when he gets around Jacey though, holy crap. His vocabulary just doubles in size when he's around his aunt JJ."

"Hi." Creed repeated as he rubbed his dad's face and smirked. "My dad."

"Yeah, that's your dad." She shook her head, jumping at the sound of the alarm system going off. "Oh lord. What those two do now."

"Don't worry!" Juice rushed into the room. "Javier and I triggered it on accident. We're getting it shut off now. If not then we may need to call in the company…"

"Jesus Christ." Jax shook his head. "Something tells me we'll be crashing at a hotel or your dad's place." He looked at Juice's retreating back. "I'm sorry, I thought he had it under control."

Bri shrugged. "It's Juice, anything can happen." She chuckled. "But yes, if it's not off in an hour, we'll be over at my dad's."

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"So, who broke the house again? Javier or Juice?" Aleksandr grumbled as he looked over at his daughter who was sandwiched between him and Sariya. "And why are you in bed with us and not your husband?"

"They both broke the house. They were upgrading the alarm system and triggered it and it's still blaring and we won't be here for long." Bri shook her head and shrugged. "I'm in here with you guys because I love you both so much and he's not my husband yet."

"Aleksandr, leave her alone." Sariya pinched the man's ear. "She wants her parents to cuddle and love on her. That's what she wants and that's what she's going to get. Brianna, ignore him. He's a grumpy baby tonight. The ice cream shoppe didn't have what he wanted."

"Oh my goodness he's a fatty." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Upset over not getting your favorite flavor of ice cream."

"Hey! I don't judge you when you get upset over not having what you want." Aleksandr chuckled. "You're a mess."

"I always get what I want so that's not relevant at all." Bri stuck her tongue out at her dad and smirked. "Thank you for letting us crash here for the night. I didn't wanna go track down a hotel or a motel and I most definitely didn't wanna go bug Jacey. So, we came to bug you guys and we love you so much."

"This is why I cannot deal with her Sariya." Aleksandr whined. " _I always get what I want_. Who raised her to be this way!? I blame you. You gave her that entitlement complex."

"Bullshit." Sariya shook her head. "She gets the brattiness from you and the hair and brains from me… Which reminds me, Brianna we need to talk seriously about getting your reinstated so you can be a doctor once again. It's a pity for you to have went to school and now can't do anything about it."

Bri nodded her head slowly as she climbed out of bed. "We can talk about it in the morning I promise. You two get all lovey again. I'm going to check the house."

"No, no. The house is safe. There are suits here, Brianna just go to sleep." Aleksandr looked at his daughter. "Nothing is going to happen. I'm here. Jax is here. We'll protect you from anything and everything. Go to sleep. If I have to tell you one more time then I will grab the belt and happily chase you down."

"Terrible." She shook her head and chuckled. "Love you guys… Goodnight."

* * *

 **Yes, you guys are seriously so awesome. Thank you for the lovely feedback last chapter, it was amazing. I hope you love this chapter and all the back and forth between Bri and Jax. Even had to toss in some Juice because why not? He needs to be around on occasion. Anyways I do need your opinions, I want to do a time jump of a couple of years, get the twins talking and raising hell, while Creed is bonding and looking up to Javier and Monica is well, a teenager. So would you guys like to see that? It won't be until after Bri is better and we have an amazing wedding and of course, you'll get to see the Suits get their revenge.**


	74. Beat

**March 21, 2015**

"Grandpa." Javier jumped onto Aleksandr and laughed. "Hi! What are you doing? What are you watching? Where is your suit? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Jesus." He shook his head. "You sound like your mom right now kid. I'm watching some television and I'm not in a suit because I'm having a lazy day. I just want to relax today. I heard you and your dad broke the Fortress and that's why you're all still here."

"We didn't break it." Javier shrugged. "He just made it scream. It was going crazy! Just so loud and it made Noah and Mason cry. It was terrible! At least we get to cuddle though grandpa. It's fun huh?"

"It is fun." Aleksandr nodded as he draped the blanket over him and his grandson. "It's a good ol' lazy day with you and me. We're doing it big in here."

"I made breakfast." Bri walked into the living room and smiled at the pair. "Your favorites. I know you guys want to be left alone but here's some food. Eat it now or later."

"You guys are still here. Why?" He looked at his daughter. "The alarm is fixed, so what's the problem now Brianna?"

"Do you want us to leave because I feel all of the hostility just oozing from every single one of your pores dad." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "Because, I told them to go ahead and replace all of the windows and raise the gate height. Might as well get it all done but if you don't want us here, we'll go to Nik's house! I can't believe you're so rude right now! I knew you hated me!"

"What is with the yelling?" Sariya walked into the living room and shook her head. "Aleksandr, you made her cry for what reason? Come here baby?" She held her arms out for Bri and shook her head as she looked over at the man. "I'll be back for you, prepare yourself and don't try to run from me either." She lead Bri through the house and out into the backyard. "Baby, what's wrong? Why are you so worked up?"

"He doesn't want us here." Bri wiped at her face and shook her head. "I don't know what to do. I don't wanna go home. The house isn't ready and I didn't feel safe. I just didn't feel good and I feel safe here and I just wanna be near family and I can't go back to Jacey's because her and Jax under the same roof would be absolute hell and I can't do that to her or him. I love them too much and I don't want anymore drama."

The older woman shook her head. "He wants you here, he just wants to hear you admit that you're afraid instead of just using a bullshit excuse. You know that man and he doesn't hate you and he wants you here. He just likes when you're honest."

"He already knows everything so like, he doesn't need to ask me." Bri sighed as she rested her head on Sariya's lap. " Love you mom."

"Love you too, now let's talk about this dress while we're at it." She pulled on the tight fabric and shook her head. "I know you have a gorgeous body but what's with always wearing the skin tight dresses and sky high heels. Don't you get tired of it?"

"Is it just beat up on Brianna day?" Bri shook her head as she sat up and shrugged. "I dress this way because I didn't have the confidence when I was younger to do so. I was the prim and proper princess and now I kinda like looking like the slutty sister." She rolled her eyes. "But if it'll make you get off of my case, I'll just start walking around in jeans, sneakers and a shirt." She stood up and walked off. "Leave me alone Sariya, I don't want to talk to you anymore today."

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"What are you wearing?" Jax looked at the brunette and chuckled. "Do you have real jeans on right now? Who are you and where is the real Brianna at?"

"Where is everyone always at when I'm in jeans?" Bri rolled her eyes as she looked down at her body and shrugged. "Sariya nicely implied that I walk around looking like a hooker and that she rather see me dressed normally. So here I am. Jeans, sneakers a shirt and look at that, my hair is even pulled up into a Jacey top knot."

"Did she actually imply it or did you just blow it out of proportion because you're still on edge with everything and super emotional?" He moved to her, shoving his hands in her back pockets and laughing. "You look good though. It's a different look but it's still amazing Bri. You look like you're ready to get on the back of my bike."

"I am ready. Do you love these Nikes or do you _love_ these Nikes?" She smirked at him. "Figured you would appreciate my taste in sneakers."

"I do appreciate the sneakers but you're not me." He shrugged. "I have a question though Bri… It's a serious one."

"Ok, go for it." She nodded as she looked at him carefully. "What is it?"

"How did you get into the jeans?" He laughed and dodged her smack. "I'm just curious. I would've loved to have seen it."

"I hate you so much right now." She shook her head. "That was not a serious question but I did break a sweat but whatever. They make my ass and hips look nice so it's a plus. I am not going to admit it to Sariya but I do like just being simple like this. I think it makes people look at my face more and less at the body and boobies."

"Also shows off this gorgeous ink." He rubbed her arms and smiled. "I love you. So, how was therapy today? Any major breakthroughs?"

"No, no breakthroughs." She shook her head. "I was trying to like I don't know just be completely open about everything and get to a point where she could be of help to me. Like I just wanted to know when I'd be good again to have sex or when I'd be able to walk to the fucking sidewalk without having a panic attack over it. I drove by the clinic today and it literally took me a solid thirty minutes to calm down. Like everything looked normal but it just set me off. I also just want the woman who beat my ass to be caught and strung up. I wanna beat her like a fucking pinata Jackson. Like I need her to be caught."

"Because you're not ready for sex yet. It's a mental thing, she can't help you through it. You'll be ready when you're ready." He grabbed her hands and smiled. "We're still on the search for her. I've been making your dad include me in on this shit. I think he's starting to like me or something."

"Shhh." She shrugged. "I just want to be able to give you everything you need babe and I hate that you have to suffer."

"Babe, I can deal with the no sex thing as long as you're making progress." He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Look, I need you to stop worrying about me and if I need to get off, you do have a mouth."

"Why do I even talk to you?" She laughed and shook her head, her nerves relaxing at his words. "I love you, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I love you too." He smirked. "Now, about your mouth…"

 **March 23, 2015**

"I love it." Bri looked at the car in front of her and nodded her head slowly before looking down at Javier. "What do you think about the car? It is going to be yours when you're older. So let me hear your thoughts."

Javier nodded, walking around the car before stopping and grabbing his mom's hand. "I love it. I love it so much! How come it looks even cooler than before?"

"I don't know." She chuckled as she looked over at Nik and Anthony. "They picked the color, why don't you go love on them."

"Aunt Nik! Uncle Anthony." Javier ran to the couple and smiled up at them. "It looks so cool! I love it so much. Look at it!"

"You love it?" Nik smiled down at her nephew. "I thought the deep red would be perfect."

"Are we ignoring the fact that your sister is dressed in normal street clothes?" Anthony picked up Javier and smiled at him. "What's with your mom and wearing pants huh?"

"Grandma and grandpa made her sad and now she's wearing jeans and sneakers like Jax. It's weird but now she can run with me more." Javier smiled and nodded. "She looks so pretty. I love her hair!"

"She looks good as fuck." Anthony smirked, rubbing his arm when his wife hit him. "What? I'm not blind Nik, she looks good. We usually check out women together."

Nik rolled her eyes. "Yeah but not my _sister_."

"That ass though." He laughed as he set Javier back to his feet. "Don't kill me babe, I'm sorry." He kissed the blonde and smiled. "You're my one and only."

"I'm not talking to you." The blonde shook her head and chuckled. "Brianna! My husband is mesmerized by your ass, come here and let him touch it or something so he'll shut up about it!"

Bri looked towards her sister and laughed, shaking her head as she moved towards her and instantly pulled her into a tight hug. "Nik, I love you for this. That color is perfect." She sighed, not wanting to break the hug too soon. "Love you too Anthony."

"Hey Bri." Anthony smiled before pulling the brunette into a hug. "How you holding up? You buy any new houses or cars or find anymore kids for us?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No houses, no cars and definitely no babies but I'll keep a look out for you guys though. Another little girl right? Yeah, I got you." She nodded her head eagerly. "Kajsa would die if she got a sister. I just know so."

"No little girls." Anthony shook his head. "I just want another boy. Spencer needs a brother and Kajsa can be our only little girl, that's perfectly fine with the both of us. She's probably in the house, torturing Creed with flowers. She loves his hair so much. It's all she talks about when she's not gabbing about Kol."

"Kajsa and Creed are best friends." The brunette nodded and smiled. "That's his pretty girl. He will call her Kaiser but most of the time he can't be bothered so he calls her pretty girl."

"That's precious." Nik smiled as she passed Spencer to Bri. "Love on your nephew while I go to the bathroom. He's been missing you, I think."

"Is that so?" Bri looked down at Spencer and smiled. "Look at those pretty eyes. My little handsome guy. I just wanna cuddle you. Come on, we're going inside to cuddle. I don't care, we're cuddling right now."

"I want cuddles too mom." Javier sighed. "Please."

"Babe, you can have cuddles from me." She smiled down at him. "We're going to go lay on the big sofa and cuddle. It'll fit us all, alright? No sad face, just happy face. We'll be going back home soon enough. The upgrades should be done."

"I'm gonna check on Nik." Anthony walked into the house after the brunette and smiled. "I think she may be getting sick." He mumbled, moving towards the guest bathroom, knocking lightly before entering. "Nikola."

"Are you done ogling my sister?" Nik looked over at her husband before reaching out and smacking his arm a few times. "I can't believe how hard you were checking her out. It was ridiculous Ant."

"I'm sorry." He shook his head. "I didn't know you were going to get so upset and start beating on me for it. I was just stating a known fact. She looks good."

She rolled her eyes, popping the man again. "Shut up about it. I already know that and I don't want you stating it either. You're mine, I'm yours. Don't look at her anymore. She's off limits. No more commenting on how good she looks. You hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah." He rubbed his face. "I can't believe you just smacked the shit out of me. I don't even wanna be here anymore since you're going to be a little jealous psycho." He smiled at her. "Look at you, practically foaming at the mouth because I complimented your sister on her new look. Nik, you know I'm all about you, I put a ring on your finger, married you in a tiny courthouse and now we're planning some huge ass ceremony with your sister. If that ain't love then I don't know what love is."

Nik shook her head and smiled. "You need to just keep your thoughts to yourself, you're a horny little teenager." She chuckled. "I know you love me and I know I'm your one and only but it's not even a jealousy thing. She's my sister, she's not _your_ sister. So, don't be nasty and drool over your sister's ass. It's not a good look on us." She winked at him before pinching his cheeks roughly. "We still need to have dinner with Jacey soon, are you going to drool over here? We have a similar look going for us now."

"No, I'm not going to drool over Jacey. She's pretty but not foreign enough." Anthony shook his head and laughed. "She's a pretty blonde, but you're a gorgeous blonde and you have an accent. It's just fucking sexy." He wrapped his arms around Nik and kissed her lips. "You forgive me?"

"Yeah, I forgive you." She rolled her eyes and grinned. "I love you to the moon and back. I think I seen that online somewhere. It seemed fitting." She tugged on his white shirt and sighed. "Let's go back out there and play nice."

"Or, we could slut it up in this bathroom." He reached behind him and locked the door. "Not everyday do we get to mess around without being interrupted by Kajsa or Spencer. Both of them are occupied, so I say we take advantage…"

"Mmm, alright." Nik nodded her head eagerly. "We can fool around in my parents' bathroom… It's been forever since we've done so." She kissed his lips and smiled. "So, let's get to it…"

* * *

 **Wow, just wow. All the feedback last chapter was just so amazing, so thank you to everyone who took the time out to review. I will have the wedding and some other things happen before the time jump. So I'm excited for you guys to read all of this. I also hope you enjoyed the return of one of my other favorite couples. Nik and Ant are finally back in town for good, so wait for some amazing double dates with them and Bri and Jax. Those dates are destined to end with some sort of trouble.**


	75. Sisters

**This is a super long chapter. It's most of the sisters and their banter back and forth. So, I hope you enjoy it and if not, then 76 has been posted as well and that's a whole lot of Jax and Bri. :)**

 **March 24, 2015**

Nikola Hohrykova pulled her black Land Rover into the driveway of the Bat Cave, her eyes darting to the backseat where she heard her daughter giggling. "We're here baby. We get to hug on your aunt Bri and you get to see your Kol and your Happy. Are you excited Kajsa?" She turned off the suv and looked back at the toddler. "Look at you with all your flowers, my little hippy baby."

"My Kol!?" Kajsa looked towards the house before trying to free herself from the carseat. "I get out now mama!"

"I'll get you out." Nik nodded as she got out of the SUV and moved to the backseat, opening the door and quickly getting her daughter out of the seat. "Come on my love, let's go reunite you with your boyfriend."

"I missed him." Kajsa nodded as she was set to her barefeet on the ground. "Kol! My baby I'm here for you!" She rushed to the front door and stood on her tiptoes, trying to ring the doorbell. "Mom!"

"I got it." The blonde laughed as she pressed the doorbell and took a step back. "He has to be here. I called beforehand."

"My Kol." Kajsa nodded as she looked down at her feet and furrowed her brow. "I have no shoes on! He can't see me like this!"

"You're fine." Nik shook her head. "You'd have to take them off anyways baby."

The front door opened up to Jacey, holding her infant as she tried to calm the baby down. "Hi, we weren't expecting you. Is everything ok?" She inquired as she looked between Nik and Kajsa. "Hi gorgeous."

"Sorry, I called Brianna and she told me what happened and everything. I guess I came to talk and say thank you. We can go if this is a busy time for you Jacey." Nik nodded. "We can come back on a better day."

The blonde shook her head. "Oh no, this is totally fine. I just didn't know if something was wrong, we're not normally a stop on your map." She smiled. "Excuse Ashtyn, she had to be held by her father and that's a complete crime."

"Something _was_ wrong, our sister was hurt and I feel like crap for not being here. We were vacationing in Bora Bora." Nik shook her head. "She's gorgeous Jacey. Those eyes too. You and Happy make some gorgeous babies, that's for sure."

"Is she my baby?" Kajsa looked up at Jacey. "Is the love of my life here!? My Kol?"

The blonde nodded her head. "I know, Nikola, just take a deep breath real quick. She's in a somewhat good mood. The kids are showering her with all kinds of love. Take a deep breath, regain some composure and go hug on her. She's doing ok right now, she also has a twenty four hour pass to aggravate Happy." She smiled down at Kajsa. "You might have to take this up with Creed but you most certainly can give her love and kisses. Kol's out by the pool with his Frey and Creed. Thank you, she's already so spoiled so feel free to contribute to the spoiling."

"I know she must love having free reign to aggravate that poor man." Nik sighed. "Still feel bad about not being in town… Don't get her going on Creed either, that's one of her other best friends but Kol is the bestest bestest friend and boyfriend. I will spoil her." She held up a gift bag. "For her and her sister Camryn. I know it'll be a few more months before Ashtyn can wear hers but it was a matching set and there were only two and none of us big sisters could fit them so I know Ashtyn and Camryn can."

Jacey nodded her head again. "Nikola. It's ok, we did what was needed. She's been taken care but honestly… Please move in or something. I'm going nuts with all five hundred children by myself. The guys are all doing big boy shit to figure out retaliation, leaving me with the kids. Monica's a huge help but she deserves to be a damn kid too." She sighed heavily, taking the bag. "That's adorable, thank you so much. Come on, let's go find the queen, herself. They should all be outside. Which means you get to see your boyfriend, my gorgeous love."

"I can stay a few days, help you with the kids." Nik smiled. "Ant and Spencer are home sick, so I was going to either crash at Bri's or a hotel. Tell you what, Ii'll take all of the kids off your hands for a few hours, let you get in a nap… I'll enlist the help of mom and dad, it'll be fun for all of the kids."

Jacey shook her head as she shut the front door and locked it before she led Nik and Kajsa out of the foyer. "No, no. I can't nap. I have to be alive and well for Ashtyn. Thanks for the offer though." She looked down at the baby staring at her. "However, there's a free and open guest room left upstairs. I don't even remember having so many rooms in my house but they're popping up out of the woodworks. You can have it, stay as long as you want."

"Maybe you can nap when she does?" Nik furrowed her brow. "I can at least take Bri's kids off your hands and her hands for a bit. I miss them anyways and I really need some cuddles from Monica and Javier, some kisses and hugs from Creed and the twins would be amazing."

"My Kol!" Kajsa shouted once they were outside. "My love! My love! I am here for youuuu!"

Jacey nodded her head before she bent down, scooping Kajsa up. "Wait just a minute, I didn't even get that type of reaction from you, and to think I was gonna let you move in so you could your Kol all day, everyday."

"Hi Jacey!" Kajsa smiled up at the blonde. "You got big boobies!"

The blonde started laughing. "Hi gorgeous. Thanks, I think. Go give your aunt some kisses, she's missed your sweet face."

"I want some boobies." She sighed. "I like your hair."

"Ok, now you're being a kiss ass, go love on your aunt then you can hug on Kol." Nik shook her head. "Ignore her, she's learning that she can get stuff with flattery."

Jacey started laughing. "Hey, shush. If she wants to lie to me and compliment me then I'm ok with it. I still feel like I'm big as a planet. Shush." She eased Kajsa to the ground. "Run free, love. If you want a swimsuit, you can borrow one from me. There's all sorts of different swimsuits upstairs."

"I do like your hair." Kajsa smiled and nodded. "No suit. I have one under my dress."

"She's tan, happy, wild haired, free, and always barefoot with a suit on. She's living her dream life Jacey. She's completely one with nature." Nik nodded and smiled. "She's our little beach baby."

Jacey started laughing again. "I love all of you, miss thang." She stood up and looked at Nik. "The suit thing was for you, not the goofball. I figured she had a suit on, she's a natural beach bum. You can totally join the nonsense that are the bigger kids in the pool. The twins and Ashtyn are the only ones not getting in the water, even though I had to get her this cute little suit."

"Oh, I have a suit on under my dress as well. Perks of letting your toddler daughter dress you." Nik chuckled. "I may splash around in the water though. I may take the potatoes in with me."

The blonde nodded her head as she moved toward the row of lounge chairs. "You have quite a nice fashion sense." She smiled at Nik. "Babe, Nik's here. Exchange some love."

"Hey Kol." Nik smiled at the little boy. "Hello Camryn."

Camryn looked up at her aunt and furrowed her brow. "What'd you do to your hair, Niki? I don't like it at all."

"Camryn." Jacey addressed her eldest daughter before stopping and shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Nik."

Kol shook his head. "Nope, you look like my mama. Twins! Like the 'tatos!" He smiled. "I like mama's white hair more though."

"Both of you get back into the pool, you're so rude." Jacey shook her head slowly. "I'm so sorry, Nik. Normally they're not such assholes."

Nik laughed. "It's fine. I appreciate the honesty. This is my new hair, apparently my hair has gotten darker, so now the blonde is kinda just highlights." She shrugged. "Thank you for comparing me to your gorgeous mama though Kol, that was a big ego boost."

Camryn shook her head. "You don't look like twins, he's just confused. You're not alike, you're skinnier, Niki."

"I'm taking your paint away. Oh my god, my kid just called me fat." Jacey scoffed as she allowed Nik to take Ashtyn before she started to walk back inside. "I'll be right back."

"She's not fat, she's thick because she just had a baby." Nik smiled at Camryn before looking down at Ashtyn. "My pretty little niece. Your mom and dad keep giving me some gorgeous nieces and nephews. Do you like having a younger sister Camryn?"

Camryn nodded her head eagerly. "She's loud but I love her. I want a million baby sisters." She smiled at the blonde. "She's my pretty baby."

"Blondie!" Happy shouted as he walked out of the French doors and towards Nik. "Hey, what'd you do with all the beer? I can't find any, Jace." He grumbled as he approached her, smacking her ass. "When'd you put on a dress? I thought you were-." He stopped talking as he turned her around. "You are not my wife."

"And you are not my husband but hello to you too Happy. Long time no see." Nik smiled up at the man. "If I had known you greet your sister-in-laws like this, I would come over here way more often."

Happy shook his head. "You can't blame me, you're holding my kid, the hair. I'll admit the dress isn't normally Jacey and neither is the ass but I figured she was back in the gym." He shrugged. "Bri! Get your sisters, one hid my beer and the other is smiling. It's weird as hell." He leaned down, scooping Camryn up. "You are my favorite blondie anywhere. The rest of the blondes are crazy."

"I let my toddler dress me, she loves this dress on me and that's what counts." Nik laughed. "I can go back to my natural expression, it won't be too hard to do love."

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "Oh no, no, no. The smile is good, I know all of you crazy Russian sisters like having your ass smacked. I must have a calling." He nodded his head slowly. "Where is your toddler?"

"Um, around here somewhere. I think she was trying to love on Kol, she may have wandered away towards flowers." Nik shrugged. "Kajsa Roll!"

"Mom!" Kajsa ran towards the blonde. "Look at my Kol! Hi Happy!"

Happy started laughing as he scooped his son up. "Flower Power, what'd she do to you, son? I'm sorry, kid. I am." He eased both of his kids to their feet before he sat down in the chair beside Bri. "Hi, kid. What're you doing here?"

"Here to see my love Kol." Kajsa nodded. "I gave him lots of kisses."

Kol nodded eagerly. "We're gonna have a baby like Ashtyn Lowman, dad! She kissed lots of times." He smiled widely at the adults.

"Well now I've figured out the error in my ways. What about you, Priss?" Happy shook his head as he looked at Bri. "Gotta quit kissing Jacey."

"That explains the baby…" Bri laughed. "Why Ashtyn is a gorgeous little brunette… I did that! Also, why were you groping my little sister Nik?"

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "That explains all the babies. You mean to tell me that you kissed _my_ Jacey and that's where Ashtyn comes from? Such shit." He shook his head. "That tan is mine though, you're both pale as hell. Oh, Nik? I'm cheating on Jacey with her, you know me and blondes. Nice rack too? I'm so damn weak."

"And we all know I'm weak for Latin mean." Nik smiled. "We're both nice and tan, look at us. I don't know why Bri is so pale."

Jacey shook her head as she walked up behind Nik. "I'm sure you'd both get buried alive, to be completely honest. Happy, ground your damn blonde daughter. She called me fat earlier."

"They're just joking." Bri smiled at Jacey. "Camryn, did you really call your mom fat!?"

Camryn shook her head. "Nooo! She's not fat, she's beautiful. I love mama. Niki's just a twig, right daddy?" She shrugged.

"I didn't call her a twig, I said she was tiny as hell. Don't get me thrown under this bus." Happy shook his head. "Where's the beer, Jacey?" He stood up, walking off toward Frey and Igor.

"I'm a twig?" Nik looked down at her body and shook her head. "Here I was thinking I was looking good as all hell."

Jacey shook her head. "You're perfect, I'm a jealous fool." She shrugged.

"Why? You're always banging, you look amazing after babies too. What is it that Bri likes to say about you being thick?" Nik smiled. "I'm going to cry over being a twig."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, it's a thing for me. Hate you both because you're so flawless. I almost kill myself in the gym and changing my dieting habits after I have the babies because it's just an inadequacy thing."

"You know my husband right? He's a drill sergeant, he keeps me in line and keeps me from eating a large pizza by myself in one sitting." Nikola laughed. "I'm also up running and working out with him each and every morning, the kids in tow. We can work out together if you want to. I'm always down to exchange Ant."

The blonde shook her head. "You're adorable, really. I don't what about me looks like I've been in the gym after all. I haven't been in the gym since December. Besides, I get maybe three hours of sleep so I cherish what I'm getting these days. The gorgeous little angel in your arms likes to hear me talk to her so we're always up."

"She's so calm." Nik nodded. "I want to steal her and dress her up."

Jacey nodded her head. "She normally is when she's got nothing to say. What exactly is she doing? Awake? Asleep? Staring at you or looking around?"

"Staring at me. Probably trying to figure out who I am and what I'm about." The blonde smiled. "She's just so pretty. I want another one."

Jacey laughed. "She's studying you, she does it to Bri. She's listening to the accent. Talk to her in a different language, you'll get a smile. I used to talk to her in Russian, Hap was all about the Spanish and Monica now sings to her in Russian."

"Let's see." Nik looked down at Ashtyn. I assume you know Frey, well, he's not the only one who speaks fluent Swedish." She started singing to the baby girl before stopping. "I took lesson from Frey for the record."

Jacey furrowed her brow. "How'd she feel about it? She won't hold back at it, it'll start with this facial expression then jump to either some cute ass smile or she'll scar your ear drums."

"It's a smile." Nik nodded. "She likes me, I feel honored."

Jacey laughed. "It's not you yet, Nik. It's the foreign language. She's intrigued… Keep it up."

"You played yourself Mama!" Kajsa laughed. "Look at my Kol, Jacey. He's handsome."

The blonde looked down at her son and smiled. "Oh handsome, you're perfection. Look like the perfect little tiny version of your dad."

"My handsome." Kajsa kissed Kol and smiled.

Kol covered his face. "Not in front of my mom, Kajsa Muse. She doesn't need to know about our personal life, ok?" He shook his head. "Mama, we're having a baby!"

"A what? How do ya figure?" Jacey inquired as she looked between the toddlers. "Been kissing a lot again?"

"Yes." Kajsa nodded as she squeezed Kol's hands. "Lots!"

Jacey nodded her head. "I'm going to be a grandmother in like twelve years, oh god help me." She mumbled. "Go swimming, babies. Don't forget your floats. Nikola, sit down. You're making my legs hurt by standing so much."

"Sorry." Nik shrugged as she sat down on the chair with Bri. "They'll make cute babies together though."

The blonde shook her head. "Completely fine, no worries. I guess I just don't want you to be all achy too. Just tan out like my blondie, her creamy caramel tan just isn't good enough. She wants Happy's tan." She smiled. "How's your relationship with the hungry Hippo going?"

"It's so not nice to call me a hungry Hippo." Bri stuck her tongue out at Jacey. "I just like food, alright." She laughed.

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Ok what is with you and trying to take Ashtyn's place? Huh? Huh?" She smirked at Bri. "Trying to get rid of her?"

"No, I just want to be cuddled and babied." Bri laughed. "I can never replace her or get rid of her. She's my baby because I gave you lots of cheek and forehead kisses."

Jacey started laughing. "That explains why she's so sassy like us. It's ok though, she's my little heartbreaker. Look at Nik, so enthralled by her." She smiled.

"I want another baby." Nik sighed. "I wish I could pop kids out like tic tacs like you two do. Life is so unfair."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "There was perks to it though. Never having to lose your perfect figure, never going through agonizing pain to bring the baby into the world, no sleepless months, no post-partum. They're not big deals but there's something." She shook her head. "However, I'm giving Bri a little Ashtyn carbon copy if you want one, I can aim for twin girls. One for each of ya."

"Still had the sleepless months with Kajsa. She whined so much." Nikola chuckled. "It's terrible. Well was terrible. Now she's nearly perfect during nights."

Jacey pointed to Kol. "He still wakes up during the night to hunt me down. Three AM, same time every single night. He's a die hard mama's boy. Frey is trying help fix it though. Camryn started sleeping straight through the night when she was ten months old. I slowly transitioned her into the bottles around the same time so she responded well to it. Kol unfortunately hated bottles until it was his only option at eleven months. The nights clearly did nothing."

"I want a bottle." Kajsa crawled onto Jacey's lap. "Big girl cups are icky!"

The blonde shook her head slowly. "But you're a big girl, babe. Not a little baby."

"I'm tiny." She huffed. "Can I have a tiny girl cup then?"

Jacey shook her head again. "I'll see what I can find. But I'll see, I can't make you any promises. You see that ox of a little boy I have." She kissed Kajsa's forehead. "Did you decide if you were keeping Ashtyn or not?"

"I'm keeping her, you can have my brother." Kajsa nodded. "He is fat."

The blonde shook her head. "But I like how little Ashtyn is… Did you talk to Creed or your aunt about taking her?"

"Creed is dumb, he didn't give me a hug." Kajsa stood up and jumped to her feet. "Creed is a stupid stupid fat head!"

Jacey covered her niece's mouth. "Ok, sunshine. We can not be mean here so apologize then sit your tiny little butt down." She shook her head.

"Sorry!" Kajsa crossed her arms and dropped to her butt. "I'm sitting."

"She's sassy, she needs a nap." Nik shook her head. "Come lay down on top of your aunt Bri and fall asleep with her."

Jacey shook her head. "Nope, serve your timeout sentence sassypants. Gotta learn that lesson first…" She smiled at Kajsa. "Here, take this towel and dry off while you sit here."

"Oh." Kajsa wrapped the towel around her head and whined. "Ok."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Tell ya what, sunshine. You quit that whining and I'll take you upstairs so you can take a nap with Happy."

"My Kol." The toddler looked up at Jacey. "No Happy."

Jacey shook her head. "It's not his nap time yet, pretty girl. It's Happy's nap time."

"All you're missing now is Lumi." Bri winked at Jacey. "Then you'll have your full brood of sassy babies."

The blonde shook her head. "I talked to Happy about that nonsense, he just got mad as hell. Told me I only have three kids and they're all by him." She rolled her eyes. "Ok Kajsa. You, me, and your baby Ashtyn are gonna lay down here. She's ready for a nap, you're ready for a nap and I'm the boss here." She stuck her tongue out at the toddler. "I'll put you in Kol's bed in a just a few minutes."

"Alright." Kajsa nodded as she stood up. "Nap time."

She shook her head. "We're laying down here first. Your baby likes the heat and sun, you don't wanna upset her, do you?"

"No." Kajsa sighed as she laid down. "No sad babies. I don't want a sad baby."

The blonde shook her head. "Ok, well come here. Nik, may I have the hungry Hippo please? You can have her back once she's out." She smiled.

Nik nodded as she passed Ashtyn back to Jacey. "I'm just going to cuddle up to Bri. Make her play with my hair."

"Her hair smells like salt water." Bri shook her head. "It's bringing back memories of your beachy hair Jacey."

Jacey looked up from the baby's face and nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, my better days." She murmured as she turned her attention back on the baby girl as Ashtyn started to fight her sleep.

"I'm inviting you out to my beach house Jacey. Anthony just bought it for me. It's not fancy like yours or Bri's but it's in Santa Cruz, right next to the boardwalk and it's just amazing. You can just let me know when you'll have free time, even if it's not for a few months or years." Nik smiled. "It's just peaceful and I think you'd love it."

The blonde smiled and nodded her head. "I appreciate that but unfortunately, I'd have to bring the army with me. Can't have one without the other, so on and so forth. Besides, I haven't actually been on the beach in years."

"Bitch." Bri looked at Jacey. "You know that Happy can babysit for a day… She'll join you on the beach in a few months. Like an actual summer month. You love the beach Jacey, embrace it."

The blonde looked back at her sister. "I included him in on that whole army shit. I may love the beach but I haven't been to it in years. What's the big deal, Brianna? I don't go anymore, so?"

"Mama doesn't like the beach anymore." Camryn looked at the women. "They just grew apart."

"I can respect that." Nik nodded. "Ignore Bri, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

Jacey shook her head. "No, it's completely fine. I'll go, we need to do better about our relationship anyway. Also don't want to appear as a damn bitch." She shot Bri a glare.

"I'm not saying you're a bitch. I just got excited about both my little sisters being beach bums together. So sue me." Bri shrugged. "I am sorry."

Jacey shook her head again. "Brianna, you just called me a bitch. Not even five minutes ago, or was I the only one listening to that?" She sighed. "I'm gonna put Kajsa down in Kol's bed then I'm gonna take Ashtyn with me to the studio."

"We always call each other bitch, it's what we do." Bri shook her head as she stood up. "Don't worry, I'll be gone when you resurface from the studio."

The blonde shook her head. "No, you're fine staying here. I don't mind. Pretty sure this is the most time we've spent together in a long time." She stood up slowly. "I also was going to return shortly, I wanted to pick up some cameras and more trays."

"I'll take the brats and go back home." Bri shrugged. "Give you more silence and space."

The blonde nodded her head slowly. "Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and happy then." She readjusted Ashtyn in her arms. "I was great to see you, Nik, hope to do so again soon."

"I'll be by. Kajsa isn't going to leave until she gets that nap in. So I'll be sticking around." Nik smiled. "I'll be out here, splashing around with the bigger kids until they leave me."

Jacey nodded her head and smiled. "Stay as long as you'd like. Especially since Anthony and Spencer are sick. Kol's naptime is in thirty minutes, so she won't hold out for long."

"Thanks sis." Nik nodded. "I appreciate this a lot."

The blonde nodded her head. "Change of plans, actually. You can have the sleeping beauty back, I want some food. I'm gonna cook." She smiled as she passed the baby to her.

"Jacey, what's your issue?" Bri followed after her sister. "Just let it all out…Don't even bother bullshitting me that you're fine."

The blonde waved her off and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired, gonna make some food." She looked back and smiled.

"Yeah right." Bri shook her head. "I can believe you being tired but I also know there's so much more going on in your head."

Jacey nodded her head. "As there is in everyone's heads, Bri. Just sleep deprivation, you know me. I make sure everyone else is good before me. It's nothing new." She pulled the fridge open and pulled a water bottle out. "Want one?"

"That is something new. That's my thing." Bri smiled. "Take care of yourself first, no one is going to fault you for doing so."

The blonde shook her head. "It is not, I always take care of my kids first. Are they taken care of right now? No. So my work is not done." She shrugged as she looked at Bri.

"It was a joke!" The brunette shook her head. "Why aren't they taken care of? They're happy, healthy, fed… You do an amazing job at taking care of your children."

Jacey scoffed, shaking her head. "Now that's a joke…" She mumbled.

"How's it a joke?" She shook her head. "Enlighten me."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "About what? I'm just rambling, ignore me."

"Tell me." Bri sighed. "You mentioned post partum to Nik… Are you dealing with that Jacey? You can tell me."

Jacey looked up and shrugged her shoulders, her blue eyes on Bri. "I don't know. I feel like I'm not doing enough, I'm not good enough. Just feel so much right now. There's so many emotions inside of me right now."

"You're doing more than enough. You're taking care of your kids and me and my kids. You're doing so much Jacey. You're beyond good enough too but I can understand the feelings. I wish I could take the load off your mind." Bri nodded. "I'm sorry you're going through this."

She nodded her head. "Then there's fucking Nikola. Jesus, she's the reason most women that even come into contact with her want to crawl under rocks. She doesn't have to be so perfect and look so damn perfect. Fucking barbie doll." She shook her head slowly as she rubbed her forehead. "I am fat! Bri, my husband has to hate me right now. I just want to hide under my bed."

"One fatal flaw." Bri tapped on her nose. "She's got that upturned nose that's begging to be fixed. She's tiny and perfect because she hasn't had to undergo body changes like we have. You're not even fat, you're a thick bitch. Duh. But hey, I know where you're coming from, I hated being next to Nik. Nik and her stupid stripper body."

Jacey laughed a little, throwing a grape at her sister. "Don't be a bitch, she's fucking gorgeous. Damn whore. I hate her but I love her so much. Fucking beach bum, I wanted to drown her." She laughed again. "I am not thick either, where did my nice taut little flat stomach go? Out the window."

"She is gorgeous." Bri laughed. "She also stole your style! You're just gonna let her do that!? Ignore me, I am just dramatic. You just had a baby like two seconds ago, give it a little time and it'll snap back."

Jacey shook her head. "No, yes… What do you want me to do here? I sometimes steal yours, the dresses are good looks when I'm meeting with clients at the studio. Otherwise, it's whatever looks good with whatever my hair does. She stole my hair! Oh my god, I don't like her right now. Go make her stop."

"I don't mind you stealing my style. It's not specifically mine. I change it up. Sometimes I wear looser clothing." Bri laughed. "She did steal the hair it looks good on her too though. It's a tie but I'll make her stop and go back to her bottled blonde color."

Jacey shook her head. "It's all fine, Bri, it is." She nodded slowly as she looked at her sister. "I had bottle blonde hair, it was not a fan favorite though." She smiled.

"You both just change so much. I can't keep track of what's what. I like you as a beach bum. I like Nik as the baby stripper." Bri laughed. "I love me as the sister that wears inappropriately tight clothing everywhere."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I love me as the beach bum too, it's me. Cami's filling the shoes well though. She's my perfect baby, honest little thing but still." She smiled. "I love our baby sister though. No matter how bad I feel."

"Then embrace it! You have a damn Malibu Barbie beach house." Bri grinned. "Get into the gym, get that tight little body back and run naked on the beach with your husband. Also, you know he doesn't hate you right? He loves you and your body regardless."

The blonde shook her head. "He so does hate me, all because of me and my love for Aurelia. What the hell am I going to do, Bri?"

"I know you love her but you gotta see it from his perspective. Would you enjoy it if he was parenting his ex girlfriend's child?" Bri shrugged. "Monica doesn't count because I never had anything with Happy so don't try to use it."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Probably not, I know I can't use Monica."

"That's the way he sees it. He doesn't like it because she keeps you connected directly to Elijah. Otherwise, Elijah would be a bit more distant." Bri shook her head. "I know it's going to be hard but kinda talk to Elijah about it maybe… I'll end up having this conversation with Jax if his first child ever comes into the picture. I'm going to hate it so much but I'll have to deal with it."

She shrugged again. "He acts like I'm going to start seeing Elijah again just because of Aurelia. I can't just shatter what has already been built there, Bri. Does that make sense. She started out calling me Jay then she just started copying Camryn and Kol. I'm fucked."

"It makes sense." Bri nodded. "Maybe we just gotta get her to call you Jay again. Little brat doesn't even bother to ever see me. She's stuck up just like her dad."

Jacey rolled her eyes."Don't call my baby a brat again, I'll starve you. She's also not even in California right now, you knew that." She smiled. "When she comes back though, you're sitting down and working out your issues with your niece."

"Whatever, I can stand to lose a few pounds." Bri shrugged. "I will try to work things out with a toddler but I'm pretty sure I should be working on fixing things with Elijah first… One step at a time though."

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"You and Brianna are pitiful." Nik shook her head. "She's doing good. She's perfect."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "We're annoying. What's new though? That's good, has she curled up in her little ball yet?"

"Aren't you two tired of that shit? I know I am and I'm not even involved. You two just drain me when you start the back and forth." Nik shrugged. "Not yet, I don't think she's comfortable enough. I also started speaking to her in French, she seemed to enjoy it."

The blonde nodded her head. "Yes I am but it's old habits and those die hard. She'll clench her fists when she's happy, that's how you know. You're not wearing a necklace are you?"

"I am." Nik smiled. "It's a cross that dad gave to me when I was like twelve and won a stupid spelling bee." She chuckled. "I won with the word imbecile. He thought it was the best thing ever, so I wear it when I miss him."

Jacey smiled and nodded. "It's hers now and she's not giving it back until she's distracted enough… She holds them when she gets comfortable, it's her way of not letting you get away. My love is a little demanding."

"That's fine." Nik chuckled. "Kajsa would just grab my hair with this solid deathgrip. It was terrible."

Jacey started laughing. "You poor thing, that was Kol. He had to hold my hair when he was eating. Shithead."

"Spencer, he just likes to suck on your shirt. It's ridiculous." Nik sighed. "I so need to go home and cuddle my baby boy. Sick or not. I need his sweet, sleepy cuddles."

Jacey sat up and held out her hands for Ashtyn. "Go ahead, I'll take her back. You can leave the other sleepy baby. She's seem to have settled Kol down." She pointed to the sleeping toddlers in a chair. "That's fucking precious."

"I can't leave her." Nik shook her head. "Wouldn't be fair to you. You're tired, you look tired."

Jacey shook her head. "I'll be fine, Nik. Leave her, they'll sleep half of the afternoon. Put Camryn in bed with Hap so she can get a nap in then I'll have your new friend in her moby. I'll get the rest I need."

"Alright, if you insist." Nik smiled. "Then you can keep Kajsa. I'd hate for her to get sick anyways. She's too precious for it."

The blonde shook her head again. "She'll be fine, everyone will be fine. I can do it." She took Ashtyn into her arms, noticing she was still awake. "You're so sneaky, pretty girl. No wonder you won't curl up on Nik."

"We'll have to seriously hang out soon Jacey." Nik smiled at the older blonde. "It'll be fun."

Jacey stood up and smiled. "Of course, we need to spend time together. I feel like we're distant old cousins." She laughed. "I'll bring her, she's definitely loving you. Might be the whole looking similar thing but she enjoys you. Explains why she stayed awake."

"Maybe you can come along with me when I treat myself to a spa day and I'm trying to pick a new blonde color." Nik chuckled. "She's a cute baby, I peppered her face with kisses, so thankfully my lipstick didn't rub off on her."

Jacey nodded as she led her sister into the house. "That will be fun, I need a spa day." She smiled. "As long as it was dark lipstick, she's fine. Apparently she cries over dark lipstick. She hates this deep red color I have so I threw it out." She shrugged.

"I'm all about nudes these days." Nik tapped on her lips. "As Anthony likes to remind me, I'm finding my style through lots of trial and error."

"It's a good look for you, I like it. Just get a little tan on you and it'll be perfect." Jacey smiled at her. "Apparently red is a good look for me, I'm mostly still into the whole boho look. I occasionally get a little professional but other than that, it's a no name style."

"I swear for like five minutes that I had a real tan." Nik laughed. "Red is good on you. Just like Bri looks amazing in white for whatever reason. Most of us look lumpy in white but that bitch looks flawless… I like your boho look. You actually inspired my hairstyle I have now. I encountered a thick photo album, when we stayed at Bri's villa in Sweden. It was just filled with pictures of you, Bri, Elijah, Alex, Esai and Dani. Talk about throwbacks."

Jacey started laughing as she nodded her head. "Oh god, me in my twenties. Grungy, boho, beach. I constantly wore a swimsuit with everything, I was such a whore for the beach. That's how you got me to agree to things, a trip to the beach." She smiled. "I like your hairstyle, probably because when I don't put my hair up or straighten, it's my hair. Bri calls it my 'been at the beach all day' look."

"Well, the pictures were true inspiration." Nik nodded. "The hair was too die for but some of the pictures had me asking who took them."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "What are some of the pictures?"

"Some of them were a bit slutty. Like one of you and Bri kissing." Nik laughed. "I have the album in my car. I told Bri about it and she didn't even remember taking it to Sweden with her so I brought it back if you want to look it over."

The blonde started laughing. "Shit. Probably Alex, he always supported every decision we made. Elijah would still beat us to death for everything, no matter if we were seeing each other or not." She shrugged. "I might give it a look, I'll probably just cry. I do it every time I look at all the albums I have."

"There are some cute ones of Elijah looking like he's going to strangle Bri and I can only imagine what she was talking about… Those two just need to make up. My sister needs to toss away the grudge." Nik laughed. "I'm still jealous of you and Bri… I so never had anyone to take pictures with or go on adventures with."

Jacey shook her head. "He always wanted to strangle her when she got drunk." She smiled. "I'm sorry, babe. You can totally join me for all my fun adventures. I just drag my kids along this time."

"I have Anthony now, it's why we're never home. I get to drag him on adventures and vice versa. He's my best friend and my husband." Nik smiled. "I'll join you on some adventures too though."

The blonde nodded her head. "Lucky damn brat. I have to make Happy tell Jax he won't be around for a few days just to get him to come to Malibu." She shrugged. "It's easier with Ashtyn though, Kol always wants to drive and Camryn is just too damn quiet. I gotta get the Happy Lowman out of her." She smiled.

"Anthony is always down for an adventure. It makes me happy but now we're just taking a break and staying home." Nik shook her head. "I think Ant's age is finally catching up to him."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "How old is he really? You know, Nik. I'm sorry about earlier when I was bitchy. I'm not going to make up excuses but I just have a ton of shit going on."

"He just turned thirty-seven a few days ago." Nik nodded. "It's alright, I figured you were going through some things. No hard feelings."

The blonde scoffed. "And he didn't even tell us so we can get anything. Just ridiculous." She smiled at her little sister. "Doctor says I've got a touch of postpartum. Plus I'm naturally batshit crazy so I do well for myself."

"In all the years that everyone has known him. No one has ever celebrated or told him happy birthday besides Elijah and Brianna." Nik laughed. "And me. I'd be a horrible wife if I didn't do so. Well, I know you'll get through it. I have faith."

Jacey shook her head. "I feel like shit, I've never even known his birthday. Also haven't really spent much time with him. I'm so sorry." She sighed. "I'm slowly accepting the fact that one day soon, I'll be shipped off to an asylum."

"It's fine, he's the forgotten suit because he's not Russian or white for that matter." Nik laughed and shook her head. "I won't let anyone commit you, I promise but if I can't prevent it, I'll make sure to send Bri along with you."

The blonde shook her head. "I think it's because he's so damn silent. If you think about all the suits, none of them are actually silent beings. Except Anthony. He's like a damn rock." She laughed. "Oh thanks, send the super crazy one with me. That's refreshing."

"Anthony is not quiet." Nik shook her head. "He's loud and goofy, he just needs the opportunity to show it. However, when he's in the suit he is all business."

Jacey nodded her head slowly. "Oh, well shit. I need to see this side of him. Let's retry that whole dinner thing, ok? I'm very serious. Maybe we'll go out this time so that doesn't give the kids any opportunities to act up."

"Yeah, we can do a dinner." Nik nodded. " I was telling Anthony we needed a dinner with the Lowmans. Just pick a day and let me know."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe after Anthony and Spencer get better, Ashtyn will enjoy having another baby to blubber to." She smiled.

"Spencer. My little baby who's so attached to his dad." Nik chuckled. "It's cute."

She smiled and nodded. "It's like that. Kol loves to drive him crazy then love on him. Boys love their dads, it's natural."

"He thinks Anthony is the best thing ever but he is really into Kajsa. He doesn't even mind when she covers him with stickers and flowers." Nik laughed. "I love watching them interact and love on each other."

Jacey smiled and nodded her head. "Give them here, i need sweet babies. Just move in with me, i don't mind. Just don't sneak into my room at two AM wanting to be cuddled with. It's my solid hour of Happy sleeping on his own side of the bed and Kol hasn't woken up to come in there and lay on me." She laughed.

"Anthony would not allow that." The blonde shook her head. "Bri would get so territorial as well. It'd be a nightmare."

Jacey furrowed her brow. "Over what? You and the kids? Well that's fucking stupid, you're my sister too. Unless she thinks otherwise." She nodded her head. "However, there's always vacations that we can all go on together."

"You!" Nik laughed. "Bri is territorial over you. You're her sister and her best friend. We're sisters but she is a brat sometimes and thinks you're solely hers."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "I am your sister too. You can spend all the time you want with me, I don't mind. I'll move you in myself, I don't care about the four year old monster that is Bri."

"Oh, I know." Nik smiled. "I love her though. That giant mess. I also need to get her talking more."

Jacey shook her head. "You know how she is. She'll talk when she's ready, she just wants to process it all."

"I know she wants to process everything but I'm really worried about her." Nik sighed. "She's strong and everything but still."

* * *

 **Awesome, if you made it to the end, I really hope you enjoyed it. I also want to thank you for the super amazing feedback on the last chapter. It was really out of this world and made me smile.**


	76. President & Old Lady

**March 26, 2015**

"Are you wearing jeans again?" Jax looked over at the brunette as she checked her appearance in the mirror before turning fully around to look at him. "This new style, it's going to stick isn't it Brianna?"

Bri shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at her legs and smiled. "Tight, high waisted jeans that are white. I mean, I'm not mad at them at all. They're hugging me like my skirts and dresses would. I think I can incorporate some of this style into my main wardrobe. Maybe this will be the type of outfits I wear when I pick up the kids from school. That also reminds me, are you coming to Creed's check up next week? He has an appointment with the cardiologist, you know how they love to keep tabs on his perfect little heart."

"I'm not complaining about the jeans." He smiled at her and nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I'll be at his appointment. What's going on with him? Do they think something is wrong?"

"No, they don't think anything is wrong, they just like checking up on him to make sure nothing pops up and if for some reason something pops up, they'll catch it in time." She nodded her head and smiled. "I was thinking about something Jackson, something super serious. That's why I used your full first name."

"Uh oh." He looked at her and shook his head. "What's on your mind?"

"We're going on a double date with Nik and Anthony." She smiled at him. "Don't try to say no to me either on this. I want to get out of the house and try to live my life again. I'm getting tired of being scared of leaving the house. I want to do this."

"A double date with Nik and Anthony?" Jax rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "For you, I'll do it for you babe."

Bri wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded eagerly before peppering his faces with kisses before laughing. "I just covered you in lipstick. I'm sorry. I'm excited about this though baby. It's going to be so fun. We'll do something that'll be fun for you and Anthony."

"Whatever makes you happy." He wiped at his face and shook his head. "Wear that smudge proof kind babe. You never leave kisses on Creed when you do that to him! How come you like to mark me up huh?"

"Because I wanted to send you to the clubhouse all marked up so people know you're all mine." She smirked at him. "All mine."

"You're coming with me." He shrugged his shoulders, his hands falling to the brunette's hips as he studied her face briefly before smiling at her. "You need to fix your lipstick now and then we can head out to Charming. I know how eager you are to get there babe."

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"Good ol' Charming." Bri shook her head as she adjusted Creed's shirt before helping him out of the car. "Can't say that I've missed this place. It still feels way too hot and it's the spring. How the hell do you all run around in hoodies and leather without breaking a sweat? Huh? Tell me your ways Jax. I need to know."

Jax chuckled as he looked at the brunette, his eyes scanning over her body before landing back onto her face. "It's a secret of the trade babe. You ready to go in, it's been awhile. They all know what happened as far as the kidnapping but not the literal details of what you went through… They helped with looking for and rounding up the Irish."

"Yeah, I'm ready to go in." She nodded as she looked down at the twins and smiled at them. "These handsome things need to get used to everyone. They'll probably be leaving me to follow you off here soon enough. It'll be sad but whatever makes them happy. I mean look at Creed. All he's missing is a little kutte. He's got your sneakers, jeans, the flannel and his hair is perfection. He's just all for this place."

"He needs to earn his kutte." He lifted up his son and smirked at him. "You trying to be me? Huh kid? Is that what's happening here? You wanna just come in and confuse everyone and have them thinking you're the president around here?"

Creed nodded his head as he rested his forehead against his father's, his tiny hands cupping the man's face as he laughed. "Yes. I'm the president." He smiled widely before being set back down to his feet. "I want a kutte."

"He can say kutte but doesn't wanna try to say Mason or Noah." Bri rolled her eyes as she tapped Creed's butt with her foot. "Go on president, go wrangle your herd."

"Mom!" Creed looked back at the brunette and narrowed his eyes at her. "Not nice!"

"Getting on the president's bad side is not a good look babe." Jax shook his head and laughed. "Dethroned by my own son, it came sooner than I expected." He slipped his kutte off and helped Creed into it, smiling proudly at the way the little boy seemed to embrace the weight of the kutte. "It's swallowing you whole _pres_ , it's a good look on you though."

"It's starting already. I am not ready for this at all." She shook her head. "I'm not ready for my baby to be all grown up."

"Don't be sad." He wrapped an arm around Bri and pulled her to him as they walked into the clubhouse. "Maybe you'll luck out and he'll wanna be a suit after the fun of this Sons fantasy wears off."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He's _your_ son. He wants to be just like you babe. I didn't even dress him like that, well I put him in the clothes but he picked them all out. I just kinda helped. So, I maybe had a hand in picking out his outfit but it looks cute huh?"

"He looks alright." Jax shrugged his shoulders, smiling with pride as he watched his son walk off towards the chapel, trying his hardest to push the large wooden doors open. "Gotta help him bulk up a bit, a president needs to be able to at least open the doors to his church."

"Go help him." Bri pushed Jax towards their son and nodded. "Make him think that he opened the door though."

"I got it." He nodded as he moved after Creed, slightly pushing the doors open before letting go once Creed got a hang of it. "Look at you, you're so strong Creed."

"Yup." Creed nodded. "Go sit! Now!"

"We have a new president." Jax nodded. "Creed. He doesn't know many words but he's destined to be a great leader."

"Pipsqueak." Kozik laughed as he watched the toddler struggle to climb onto the chair at the head of the table. "Has to be better than you, that's for sure."

"Sit!" Creed shouted as he stood on the large chair and nodded his head. "NOw!"

"I see we have a new president." Chibs chuckled as he took his seat. "Jackie boy, your son took your throne!"

Jax shrugged as he took a different seat. "I just hope he knows, it ain't easy being king."

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"Can I get you a coffee Brianna?" A blonde smiled at the brunette. "Your sons are so handsome!"

"Uh, thank you." Bri looked at the woman and nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I'll take a cup of coffee. What's your name?"

"My name is Heidi." The blonde smiled as she poured the brunette a cup of coffee. "I'm new around here. I've only been here for a few weeks now. You're Jackson's old lady right?"

"Nice to meet you. I assume you're a hang around, bartender or something? You're way too dressed to be a sweetbutt." She chuckled as she took a sip of the coffee and smiled. "I am his old lady, mother of his children. There's a little blonde terror running around wearing his dad's kutte, that's our oldest son Creed. He's loving it here, so I can't rush out of here."

Heidi chuckled and nodded. "Kinda landed here, in between jobs and places. The guys have been nice to me. I haven't talked too much to Jax. The other girls told me he was dealing with a family emergency."

Bri nodded as she looked over at Jax. "Yeah, we had a huge family emergency, took him away from the club for a little bit but he's back and taking to being in charge again. Despite having his son take his kutte and his place within ten minutes of being back. He's nice but I'll tell you now, don't try to get close to him. I don't take kindly to that type of shit. Admire from afar and you and I will be on good terms Heidi."

"I'm not going to cross any boundaries." Heidi shook her head. "The girls told me to play nice and get to know all of the guys and that Jax is helpful when you're on his good side. That's all there is to it. I'm not going to do anything sneaky."

"I'm just letting it be known." She shrugged her shoulders and flashed a brief smile. "I just want everyone to know that he's mine. He's mine and no one else can have him. I totally don't care that I sound like a bratty two year old either. That man is mine and I plan on keeping him _forever_."

"Brianna." Jax touched the brunette's lower back before kissing her. "We can head out, business is done and Creed is falling asleep. The power wore him out in less than a few hours. Look at him, walking around half asleep."

"He's trying to fight through his naptime, that's what is happening. Pick him up and he'll be out instantly. He just wants cuddles and his nap. He's done being president for the day. He can start this up again next time." Bri smiled at him and nodded. "This is Heidi, she's a new hang around, helps out behind the bar."

"Hey." Heidi smiled at Jax. "Opie and Chibs had told me I could work the bar during some of the parties."

Jax nodded his head. "Well, if Opie and Chibs told you that, I support it." He smiled before moving away from the pair, scooping his son up and resting him against his body. "It's naptime, you can be in charge again in a few days when we come back to check on the guys."

"My sleepy baby." Bri smiled as she ran her fingers through Creed's hair. "My little handsome sleepy head. I love you so much."

"Oh, wow, he's a handsome thing." Heidi smiled. "You guys made gorgeous babies."

"Thank you." Jax smiled proudly. "They take after me. My dad had dark hair, so that's where the twins get their hair from. She just cooked the kids for me."

Bri rolled her eyes. "That's me, I'm just the cooker. It's a shame." She shook her head and laughed. "He asks for the babies and I oblige."

"It works for us." He chuckled as he kissed Bri's temple. "She's the best thing ever. Come on Brianna, let's go before I get pulled back into this nonsense. I liked having a break from being the president."

"Look at you being sweet." The brunette chuckled as she followed behind Jax. "If you keep that up, people may think you're serious about getting married and being a family man."

"I'm very serious about it, proposed to the woman and everything." He looked back at her and smirked. "She's now stuck with me and my shit for life unless she comes to her senses and heads for the hills."

"Oh did you now?" Bri smiled back at him. "Never. We're stuck with each other for life. We will continue to put up with each other's shit. We'll also continue to be totally in love and complete goofballs. The only time I would ever head for the hills is if you do some unforgivable shit like cheating or putting our family in direct danger. Those are two things that I will not put up with. You haven't cheated and the danger thing is new since you know, my dad got shot at in Charming. I love you Jax. You are stuck with me until the end of time."

"I'm not mad at that, being stuck with you until I take my last breath." He eased Creed into his seat before attaching the twins' seats to their bases and closing the door. "Bring it in for a hug Brianna. You know I love you like crazy, right?"

She nodded slowly, falling into his arms before kissing his chin. "I know you love me like crazy. We don't make much sense together but I'm happy that we work together. The Outlaw and the Princess, sounds so cliche but whatever, we're building a legacy together. I also can't wait to see what else life has in store for us. Maybe you'll end up with that daughter that for some reason you want so damn badly."

"I want a daughter because I hear a daughter is supposed to make me an even better man, makes me want to shape up further to make sure she's proud of me and may be even bring someone home like me. If she brings someone home like teen me, I'll lose all my hair. I was a shithead… Even if she brings home a guy who was like me during our first go around or even when you found out you were pregnant with the twins, I'd cry." He held her to him closely and sighed. "I want another little Brianna running around, Monica isn't enough. Plus, this new one needs to be a blonde to annoy you."

"Mature answer." She rubbed his sides and nodded. "Give it a few months and we'll talk to my mom about a reversal of the tubes but you do realize there's no guarantee of getting a daughter unless we try to toy with genetics and fate?"

"Yeah, I know but we're going to get a daughter." He smiled as he opened the driver's door for her. "Remember, I'm right behind you on the Dyna. I'll have eyes on you at all times. If you need something, wave me down."

Bri smiled. "I don't think I'll need anything." She shook her head and closed the door before opening the window. "I'll see you back at home."


	77. I Overcome

**March 30, 2015**

Aleksandr flashed a nasty smirk at the two men seated before him. His suit jacket was already off and draped across a chair in the corner. It was finally his time to have fun, his time to indulge himself. He had been putting this off for a week but now he was going to get his hands dirty. He was going to enjoy every single moment of torturing the two men. The two men that had snatched and made his daughter's life a living hell. "You know who I am right? Aleksandr Ivanov." He rolled up the sleeves of his white button up shirt and smiled. "You snatched my daughter. Took her to a woman… I want that woman's name." He set a knife and gun on the metal table before pulling on a pair of black latex gloves. "You know how we do it in Russia right? Die by knife or gun… Gun being a coward's way out."

"We're Irish…" The first man spoke up. "You have no idea how much fun it was to play with your daughter…"

"What's your name?" He looked at the first man and smiled. "Curious, I want to make sure the Irish know about you when they come looking for your body."

"Connor." Connor smiled back up at Aleksandr. "That's my name."

"Alright, Connor." Aleksandr picked up the knife, turning it over in his hands before setting it back down on the table before picking up the gun. "You want to tell me the name of the woman who nearly beat my daughter to death?"

"If I tell you, will you let me go?" The second man looked at Aleksandr. "I didn't do anything to your daughter. I just followed the directions to grab her from the clinic man! I didn't sign up for what they did to her. She told us, it was a snatch and grab, we'd hold her for ransom then let her go when the cash came through! That's what the deal was, that was the original plan!"

He nodded his head slowly, picking up the knife again. "Go on, tell me her name and I'll spare your life… What's her name and where is she hiding out?"

Connor shook his head. "Don't do it, don't give him the name, he's not going to spare your life. He's lying to you. Go out with dignity."

"Her name, her name is Kyla." The man sputtered out. "Kyla, that's her name. She's blonde and kinda pretty. I don't know where she's hiding out though. I don't know, I swear that I don't know. I really don't know!"

Aleksandr stiffened up slightly at the sound of the name before relaxing again, he raised the knife and brought it down swiftly, slicing across Connor's face. "What is this called, the Glasgow smile? Some dumb shit like that?" He smirked as he made the same movement to the other side. "Connor, you and I could've been friends, we could've had something special but now we're just going to have to be enemies. Well, not really since you're about to die."

"Then kill me." Connor spat at the man. "Kill me."

"I'd rather not, I think I need to bring in a few more people to have a little fun with you." He stood upright and whistled, watching a few large men shuffle into the room. "These are my friends, they're here to do to you what you did to my daughter Conor… Let's see how you like being held down and taken with force." He chuckled. "Guys, when you're finished with this one, string him up. I'll be paying him a visit in a few days. The one that's crying, spare him and just string him up. I'll be back for him in a few hours."

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 **.**

"Dad." Bri watched the man storm past her and straight into the kitchen. "What's wrong dad?"

Aleksandr paused, looking back at the brunette before shaking his head slowly. "I don't want to talk about it. Where's the scotch? Where do you keep your liquor at Brianna?"

She furrowed her brow, moving towards the hidden liquor cabinet. "Keep it out of reach and view of the little ones." She grabbed a bottle of scotch and set it down before grabbing a glass and handing it to him. "Dad, what's wrong? You know you can tell me…"

He nodded his head, watching her pour him a glass of scotch before he picked it up and downed it in one go. "Left the warehouse, have the men who grabbed you there… It was just overwhelming, the way that one was just laughing it up. I wanted to end him right then and there. I couldn't though, I want him to suffer. I want to break every single bone in his body and make him face a slow and painful death."

Bri nodded her head slowly as she poured him another glass. "Alright, that is understandable." She sighed as she trailed her fingers through her bangs before crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes never leaving her dad's face. "Do what you need to. I just want to have them off the street. Any leads on the woman though?"

"One is singing like a bird, I'm going to keep him alive until I can get him to tell me exactly where she's at." Aleksandr looked over at his daughter, giving her a soft smile. "I'm going to make it safe for you again Brianna. I don't like seeing you fear for your life. This isn't you."

"It's not me." She shook her head as she held out her arm and pointed to a fresh tattoo. " _I overcome._ That's who I am. I always manage to pull through and overcome anything and everything that's tossed my way. This is a different fear but I'm still overcoming it. Taking my life back one day at a time. I'm less afraid these days… It'll only get better from here on out."

"I'm happy to hear that." He pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her forehead softly. "I'm proud of you Brianna. I love you."

Bri shrugged. "I love you too dad. Now, keep pouring yourself scotch. I'll make you something to eat, alright?" She smiled as she moved to the fridge and looked back at him. "You want a burger? I can make it happen. I have all your favorite toppings, even the thick cut bacon and onion rings."

"Yeah, I'd love a burger." Aleksandr smiled as he took a seat at the island. "Extra bacon and mustard, please."

 **April 1, 2015**

Bri walked in slow circles in the center of her dad's living room, her grey eyes trained on the window as she awaited the arrival of an old friend. She was nervous, she was eager but mostly she was unsure of what would happen. After a series of dreams she had about her friendship with Elijah Nasonov, she couldn't help but reach out. She missed him and despite the fact she had managed to hold a solid grudge against him for leaving without saying anything to her, she was actually ready to drop it now. "He drives a white Audi now?"

She shook her head as she watched Elijah get out of the car before she lowered herself to the large recliner, pulling her legs up to rest her chin on her knees. All of a sudden feeling a bit more vulnerable than she felt just moments before.

"Elijah is here." Sariya smiled at her daughter before passing her the cup of tea. "Drink it, it'll relax you and give energy."

"Thanks mom." She smiled back at the woman as she took a sip of the tea, her eyes falling to the man that was behind her mom. "Hello Elijah."

He nodded his head, giving the brunette a brief smile. "Hello Brianna."

"Thanks for agreeing to come over and talk." She nodded. "You want anything to drink?"

Elijah shook his head slowly. "It's no problem at all, I'm fine though." He slipped out of his jacket and sat down on the sofa behind him. "Is everything ok? How are you feeling?"

"No." She shook her head. "Everything isn't ok but it's getting there. I'm feeling like crap but I've been having these dreams. Well they're not even dreams, they're memories from like Monica's second birthday, the day we all moved out here and then the first time you left us for longer than a week."

He nodded his head. "I thought you were staying with Jacey, what happened? Wow, that was so long ago. I think about all of that all the time. Monica was so full of happiness and sass then."

"Jacey is stressed and I did my usual thing, get upset, say something then regret it but stick with what I said. I told her me and the kids were leaving so we did. Even though I wasn't ready and as soon as I got back to the Fortress I found a million and one things to fix. So while that's happening we've taken up residence here." She shrugged. "Yeah, I know. It was the little beach moment when she finally indulged you and called you 'Lijah instead of the usual 'Li 'Li."

The man chuckled and smiled. "I haven't thought about that in forever, haven't heard that name in forever." He sighed. "Why'd you get upset? Why'd you leave? Have you talked to her since you left?"

"She was tired, she kept saying everything was fine but I knew it wasn't. So I got upset and told her we'd leave so she'd have less to worry about." Bri nodded. "Yes, I've talked to her. It's not a fight or anything. I just didn't want her having to deal with us on top of her own family anymore."

Elijah nodded his head. "You should be used to her putting her feelings on the back burner, Bri. It's her thing. Just like it's yours to get mad about it. I hear Ashtyn's starting to feel better, slowly but surely." He smiled briefly. "But you didn't call me here to discuss what went wrong with you and your sister so what's going on? You're not one to reminisce, unless it's with your sisters."

"Yeah, well it's annoying, she should stop." Bri shook her head. "I miss you Elijah. We were the best of friends. I'm sorry for pushing you out."

The man nodded again. "Yes I know but it's how she is now. It's how things happen for her so she's used to just doing so. You know her better than the rest of us, you know that." He sighed heavily. "I miss you too, Brianna. Very much. Yes, I agree, we were very good friends."

"Enough about her. The world revolves around me again." Bri smirked. "It's the Brianna show… No, no. We were _best_ friends. Like from the moment you walked stiffly into my home in Russia, we were best friends. We'd talk for hours and hours. You'd listen to me bitch and moan, then you'd hit me with a _Brianna_ and a look to put me in check. I miss those days."

He started laughing and nodded his head. "You both need to fix whatever is keeping you from each other, I know it wasn't a fight but still." He nodded his head and smiled. "We were best friends, I'm sorry I gave you reasons to push me out, Brianna. I'm staying around for good now though. Me and Aurelia both."

"I don't want to put my shit on her anymore than I already have." The brunette shook her head. "This is my shit to deal with and I'm going to deal with it." She nodded her head slowly and smiled. "You are?"

Elijah shook his head. "I wasn't suggesting a fun idea, I'm telling you to fix whatever this nonsense is." He chuckled and nodded. "Yes, going to Russia last year was for some brief work that is now complete. I have bigger priorities now. I have some little green fuckers to hunt down."

"It's not nonsense. We're fine. No one needs to worry." Bri nodded her head. "Or how about you go and remove those three burly ass suits that you gave to my daughter? They're hardcore Max fans, so that could be bad. I'm happy that you're back for good now though. You and Aurelia."

Elijah rolled his eyes. "You're going to only get mad with yourself because you'll want to go see her then you'll stop yourself for some silly reason." He shook his head. "I gave them to her for a reason, don't worry. They're just fine for her."

"No." Bri shook her head. "It's not like that at all. I'll go see her, as long as dad or Jax take me over there." She nodded her head. "Well, if you say they're fine, then I believe you."

Elijah shook his head. "I'm sorry for thinking so. You don't have to go unless you want to, she seems to be doing fine. I saw her a few days ago." He nodded. "They're fine for now, unless you catch wind of her talking about changing her plans."

"It's alright, you can have your own opinion." Bri chuckled. "I'll go see her, I just need to make sure dad or Jax is with me."

Elijah shrugged his shoulders. "Take your dad with you, she's less likely to make you move in with her if he's there to shut the idea down." He chuckled.

"Oh no. Dad is wanting me to move back into the Bat Cave. He thinks it's _adorable_ that we were all living together." She laughed. "He wants it to be a thing."

Elijah chuckled and nodded his head. "Then move back in, Brianna. Quit being stubborn and go back over there."

"No, I can't. I miss Jax and I wanna be with him and the kids at the same time." The brunette shook her head. "I don't think she'd let Jax move in too."

The man shrugged again. "Who knows Brianna? Why don't you just go over there and find out? You're both so ridiculous, it's just unreal." He chuckled.

"Because I already know the answer." She rolled her eyes. "No, no. We grew up, we're less ridiculous."

He started laughing. "I'm sorry, you both did what now? When was this? How could I miss such a wonderful occasion?"

"I don't know a few weeks back." She shrugged. "It was amazing, cupcakes and everything. You missed out on a good time."

Elijah shook his head. "Prove it then, smartass."

"I will." Bri nodded. "Where's my dad?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, Sariya answered the door and led me to you. I have no clue where the man is."

"Well, we have to wait for him or Jax." Bri looked up at Elijah. "They're my escorts. Also, when did you go all out and get a white Audi? You usually drive black ones."

The man shook his head. "That's fine, he's probably in his office though. I got it a few months back, decided to change it up."

"Copycat." She smirked at him. "You know I have that same car."

He chuckled. "What is it you call it? Twinning? Hmm, maybe I wanted to match you." He flashed her a smirk as he stood up and pulled his jacket back on. "Come on, we're going to find Aleksandr."

"No, no. Leave the jacket." Bri stood up. "Dad! Dad! Aleksandr! Dad! He hates when I hit him with Aleksandr."

Elijah sighed as he slipped back out of the jacket. "Yes, _mother_. Don't hit him with it then, you know he always has that nice belt handy for you or your sister."

"Oh no, I can't be beat anymore. It may trigger some horrific memory." She shook her head. "Everyone has to be nice to me because I'm always on the verge of a break down according to the psychiatrist."

Elijah sighed heavily. "Well damn, how do you get punished these days?"

"I don't." Bri shrugged. "I'm back to being the princess and getting babied."

He scoffed, shaking his head slowly. "God help us all now. The princess. Yeah, right." He mumbled in Russian as he chuckled.

"What would you suggest as a punishment?" She looked at him as she led him into her dad's office. "I wanna hear about it."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh I don't know, I don't punish anyone with _niceness_. You know that."

"All that is missing now is Jacey and the three amigos will be reunited." Aleksandr smiled at the pair. "Elijah, what brings you here and is my daughter giving you trouble?"

The man shook his head slowly as he gave Aleksandr a smile. "We'll have to come up with a foursome name considering she goes nowhere without that pretty little baby of hers." He shrugged. "She called me here to give me nothing but trouble."

"I actually believe that." He laughed. "She's been causing lots of trouble now that no one wants to smack her with a belt."

Elijah shrugged again. "Oh noone _wants_ to… Here I was thinking it was a new rule." He chuckled. "She needs you to escort her to her sister's house."

"I can't, I'm busy." Aleksandr shook his head. "You take her. You're as capable as me or Jax."

Elijah shook his head slowly. "She wants you to since Jax isn't here yet but I understand. Sorry, Brianna. Another time."

"Come on 'Li 'Li. You can just take me since you wanna see me and Jacey all grown up." Bri nodded. "You can also see your Menchies if she isn't grounded."

The man chuckled. "You're funny. What makes you think Monica wants to see me though? She's better at holding grudges than you, Brianna and that girl would rather drink a glass of water while I burn than try to extinguish the flames."

"You give her too much credit. I mean, yes she's the Queen of Grudges but she's a sensitive little brat just like me. These days she's all about her juvenile delinquent of a boyfriend Nick and her baby sister Ashtyn." Bri shrugged. "Talk to her, you may get her to talk back."

Elijah furrowed his brow. "Talk to Ashtyn? She can already talk? Well, they sure are raising her perfectly. She's smart." He flashed her a smirk. "Delinquent, huh? How's Happy feel about that?"

"She babbles so she's one day closer to talking." Bri shrugged. "I don't know… I don't think he's met the kid yet to be honest."

He chuckled. "She was just born, how is she babbling? That's not making much sense." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well let's go, you're eager to get there."

"Super genius baby." The brunette shrugged. "I'm following right after you. Lead me to your car."

Elijah shook his head. "Were the other two like that?" He shrugged his shoulders as he led the brunette outside to his white Audi. "I take it you and Miss Ashtyn don't have much of a relationship, don't tell me you're jealous because Jacey can't baby you right now that she's got a new baby in the house." He smirked as he opened the passenger door for the brunette.

"Not close because Monica hogs her and when Monica isn't hogging her Jacey is." Bri got into the car and smiled. "Look at this interior. I really did rub off on you."

The man chuckled. "They both have a baby to themselves, don't even get mad. You tried on numerous occasions to steal Miss Camryn and Kol." He nodded his head. "We've been friends a long time, it was bound to happen."

"I'm not mad." She shook her head as she put her seatbelt on. "I like it. It's nice."

Elijah nodded his head. "Oh, pouty. You're right, you should know though. Miss Ashtyn apparently likes being naked on fur, Jacey told me about her new way to get Ashtyn to like that tummy time." He chuckled. "Thank you."

"That makes me happy." Bri nodded. "You've been naked on fur right? Best feeling in the world."

He nodded his head. "Once or twice but that's all you'll get to know."

"It's life." The brunette laughed. "I love my fur."

He nodded his head. "It was an interesting feeling, I'll admit but it wasn't _life_." He pulled through the open gate of the Bat Cave and up behind the white Range Rover. "At least we know Jacey's home."

"Everyone just stole my color from me huh?" Bri shook her head. "That's because you weren't doing it right!"

Elijah shook his head. "She's had that for years, _you_ gifted it to her for some occasion. Just like that blue one she has. You like to spend large amounts of money on her… Hush now." He got out of the car and moved to the passenger side, opening the door for Bri. "Don't you worry about that, everything was perfect."

"Yeah, I gifted a white one and told her she could pick any color to paint it." Bri laughed. "You missed my birthday. Where's my present?"

The man shook his head. "A gift card to that Build a Bear or whatever. I don't know, Brianna. I don't know what you want. You're full of surprises." He walked to the front door. "Do you have a key?"

"Nik likes Build a Bear, not me." Bri shook her head as she unlocked the front door. "I love shiny things."

Elijah pointed to the keys on the foyer table. "There are some shiny things you may admire but not keep. Happy birthday, Brianna." He smiled at her. "Wonder where everyone is."

"Asshole." Bri shook her head. "Probably either asleep or in the backyard, if not there then it's nap time and Jacey and Ashtyn are probably in the studio."

The man nodded his head. "Hm, what time is it? Let's go find Jacey and Ashtyn then."

"Nap time." She nodded as she moved down the long hallway and into the studio. "Jacey, Jacey, Jacey. Look I left the house and made a new friend."

The blonde looked back as she finished hanging up a picture. "Bri, Bri, Bri. Look, my daughter's a genius and I'm so proud of her artistic abilities." She smiled. "What's the occasion and what are you doing with the likes of that man?"

"Camryn is amazing." Bri smiled. "Oh, we ran off, made up and got hitched. I thought you knew! Didn't you get my text?" She winked at the blonde. "He's here because he doesn't believe that we grew up and stopped fighting so much."

Jacey turned around completely. "What the hell is wrong with you? You said you'd marry me." She rolled her eyes as she walked the Bri. "Steady her, please." She unhooked the clip before taking Ashtyn out of the moby and taking the moby off. "Thank you. He's full of shit."

"I'm marrying no one but Jax, you're off the market." Bri shrugged. "We grew up. See, nothing can keep us apart Elijah. Unless she like eats my last cookie or something."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "I am not. It hasn't been a year yet, the year mark is when I get off the market." She smiled as she poked Elijah's face. "Don't listen to her, she loves it when I eat her cookie."

"Are you two aware of how imbalanced you both can be?" The man chuckled as he sank into the black bean bag chair. "I see you both grew up. A little."

"Like I said, we did a bit of growing up." Bri smiled at Elijah. "Now you're seeing it first hand."

Jacey nodded her head eagerly. "We grew up, she told you and you should've listened. But I get it, you two missed me. It's fine, it's adorable. Missed you guys too." She smiled.

"I missed you but he told me I'd find a reason not to come." She shook her head. "Apparently it's a big deal that I moved out of the Bat Cave."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "What do you want to do? You know you can move back in until you're ready to go… I don't mind it at all."

"I can't move back in unless Jax comes with. I missed him so much. I didn't even realize it until I was back home." Bri shrugged. "I think we're officially a packaged deal these days."

Jacey shook her head. "Could you honestly imagine me and Jax under the same roof? He'd hate that shit. Nope."

"That's what I was trying to explain to Elijah." The brunette smiled. "He didn't listen to me."

Elijah shook his head as he stood up and took Ashtyn from Jacey. "I was listening, I just didn't care to believe it." He sat back down and smiled. "You all should consider living together, leave Aleksandr alone."

"I'm only there for one more day then everything with the Fortress will be done." Bri shook her head. "Keep it up and I'll move my family in with you. I know how much you'd love that."

Jacey shook her head. "Wait a minute, why did you take my little angel from me? She was trying to give me love." She groaned as she nodded. "See, she's doing good. Doesn't need to move back in with me."

"I didn't say that, I just said we'd be back in the Fortress. I still can't go anywhere on my own and it took a whole lot of willpower not to cling to my dad and to have Elijah escort me out here." Bri shrugged as she looked around the studio. "He's a baby stealer that's why."

Jacey nodded her head. "Brianna, if you need to move back in then just tell me. I'll fix up the guest rooms again for you and the babies." She looked back at Elijah. "You better love on her, just don't take my love. She's my baby."

"No, no. I gotta get through this." Bri smiled at Elijah and Ashtyn. "Such a baby thief. I can't believe this. You never steal my potatoes… I know, I know. My jealousy is in full force. When I push away one emotion another one pops up."

Elijah shook his head. "I haven't even met your _potatoes_. I'm not sure if I want to but bring them here. If they're nice and sweet like this one."

"How have you not met Mason and Noah? Have you at least met Creed?" Bri looked at the man. "Noah is evil and Mason is the sweetie."

Jacey furrowed her brow. "He wasn't here for the birth of the twins. He was _away_." She smirked as she rolled her eyes. "Both of them are sweet, don't listen to her. Except when Noah took Ashtyn's pacifier once."

"If any of you two have babies again, I'm going to be away. The twins are a little over half way to being a year old. Noah is a meanie face like me, Mason is a mama's boy like Jax." Bri shrugged. "Don't listen to Jacey, they just suck up to her."

Jacey started laughing. "You're not a meanie face, you're completely psychotic. Why would the twins suck up to me?"

"Because they think you're gonna pop out a tit and feed them." Bri shrugged. "It's baby logic."

The blonde shook her head. "Why?! I don't just pop my tits out whenever. At least not anymore unless she starts sucking on her bottom lip or fist." She smiled. "They can't have my tits, they're hers."

"I dunno. I was being sarcastic maybe. They just love you so they're sweet to you. They're on bottles now anyways. Sad, sad days." Bri shook her head. "My baby loves."

The blonde nodded her head as she eased onto a stool and smiled. "What's wrong, Brianna? Don't say nothing either. You're in your head."

"My babies have to be bottle fed because I'm on so many antibiotics for potential infections." Bri shrugged. "That's all I'm upset about."

Jacey nodded her head. "How long were you gonna breastfeed them for?" She shrugged. "They're seven months old."

"Until like one." Bri shook her head. "Longer than what I did for Creed."

The blonde started laughing. "One? Shit. Why?"

"Because I love the fullness of my boobs when I breastfeed. It's been like a few weeks and I'm already down a cup size but no one has noticed because I got a really amazing push up bra from Victoria's." Bri laughed. "I'm just a boring old double d now."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "God, being a double d must just be awful." She rolled her eyes. "I want some tacos so bad."

"It is." Bri shrugged. "You go eat some Tacos. Elijah give Ashtyn back. I need to go love on my own babies. I'll probably visit again tomorrow Jacey."

Jacey shook her head as she covered Bri's mouth. "Shush, they're sleeping. Turn around and look at that cuteness." She smiled at her sister. "I don't have any tacos either so my craving will be just that."

"Make some tacos." She shook her head. "You're officially stuck with me until their nap time is over."

The blonde shook her head again. "I don't want to. Oh no, not that. God help me, not stuck with you." She rolled her eyes as she sighed. "Stop acting like it's some big terrible thing that you're here."

"I'm not acting any way. It's not terrible at all." Bri shook her head again and sighed. "I don't mind being here at all."

Jacey nodded her head. "Right, of course. I'm gonna go check on all the children. You can come with me or hole up in the media room…" She slid off the stool and shook her head. "Can't believe he stole my baby and fell asleep with her."

"I can't believe she stole my best friend from me. _Rude_." Bri chuckled. "So much for bonding with Elijah."

Jacey shook her head. "Brianna, she's a Russian lover. She loves any Russian as long as they will hold her." She smiled at the brunette. "I'll wake them up, I'm sorry she stole him from you. Guess it's a Jacey thing."

"It's fine. Don't wake them up." She shook her head. "I'll just follow you around."

Jacey nodded her head as she moved out of the studio. "Knowing Camryn, she's lecturing Igor about his new _secret_ girlfriend. Kol's passed out with Frey though, I'm sure of that." She laughed.

"That little blonde he goes to breakfast with?" Bri nodded. "Then what babies are awake for me to play with?"

Jacey shook her head. "Nope, some brunette he brings here to fuck. I walked in on him the other day. Him and his nice ass though." She laughed. "I just said Camryn is lecturing Igor so she's awake. Just let her see you and the game is over."

"Oh. Haven't seen the brunette." She shook her head. "You're married, you're terrible. I don't wanna interrupt the lecture though."

Jacey shook her head. "I only saw her skinny ass and I'm disappointed in Igor. Hopefully so is my baby because I doubt that girl is actually pretty." She shrugged her shoulders. "Fair enough, my husband's ass is nice too. You're not interrupting it. A six year old is lecturing a man about bed wrestling considering she's not so sure about the truth of _bed wrestling_."

"I still cannot believe you and Nik got married before me. Like rude ass bitches. Don't you know we're supposed to go in order. Oldest to youngest." Bri laughed. "Camryn is too cute. I wanna go hold my C.C."

The blonde shrugged. "Bitch I was married before you decided to adopt me. Try again." She smirked. "Camryn is a bossy little mess. She's talking more and it makes me so happy so go, embrace the cheerful little Jacey that I was when I was six."

"I can't believe it! I was married and widowed so I can't really say shit." Bri shrugged. "I was a terror at six. Ask dad."

The blonde shook her head. "No need, I have recaps from my oldest child." She smirked at Bri. "Don't say I stole her. I married into her."

"You didn't steal her, you slowly won her over." Bri laughed. "It's been a long fight."

Jacey shook her head. "Knew that demon hated me. Fuck you all for lying."

"She didn't hate you." Bri shook her head. "She simply thought you stole away her Elijah and for that she may have created a voodoo doll and tossed it off the staircase a few times but she never hated you."

Jacey gasped. "What the fuck. I'm not talking to her for at least a month now, she's such a demon. I told you this. Oh my god." She reached Igor's door and pushed it open. "How's timeout treating you?"

"Do not ask." Igor shook his head. "She grounded me and told me I couldn't have friends anymore. Now she's taking my watches."

"That's my girl." Bri smiled at Camryn. "Always take away what they love."

"Hi B! Come here and hug me!" She smiled as she jumped on the bed. "Hi!"

"Hiiii." Bri moved to the blonde and hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much C."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "You should move back in, help me regulate! Iggy's being a whore." She rolled her eyes.

"Shame on Iggy!" She shook her head. "I can't move back in, I can however stay the night if you want me to babe."

Camryn nodded her head eagerly. "Yes! That'll be fun!"

"Then we'll have a sleepover." Bri smiled. "You and me! I'm excited!"

Jacey shook her head. "Camryn, did you forget about your painting your dad said you have to finish tomorrow?" She inquired. "Unless you wanna wait."

"If you need to finish a painting then we can have the sleepover a different night babe." Bri nodded. "I don't wanna interrupt your art."

Camryn shook her head. "Noooo, I wanna wait mama."

"Sleepover is on." Bri smiled. "I'll order us food. Any requests?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nope! I like what you like." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around the brunette. "You're still grounded, Igor!"

"Yup, still grounded Igor." Bri nodded. "It's going to be the best sleepover ever."

* * *

 **so, Papa A is on a path for vengeance, Bri is patching things up with Elijah and all is just going uphill from here. so excited for all the upcoming updates.**

 **also big thanks to those who took the time out to review the last two updates. it's very much appreciated as always.**


	78. Awkward

**April 4, 2015**

"We need to talk about the wedding." Nik crawled into her sister's bed and smiled. "We can keep it simple. Straight to the point. I just need to know where your head is on this Brianna… With everything that has happened, are you still up for this double wedding?"

Bri groaned as she pulled the blankets over her face and shook her head. "Who let you in my house and into our room? Jax is still fast asleep, leave him alone."

"I have keys and I know how to open doors." The blonde chuckled as she cuddled up to her older sister and sighed. "I am not even bugging him, I'm here to bug you about our wedding. I'm excited, I found my dress and I want it to happen but I just need to know where your head is at on this Brianna, that's all I need to know."

"Have your own wedding, I'm not ready physically. I'm sorry…" She looked back at the blonde and nodded her head slowly. "I just don't want to keep holding you and Anthony back. If you found your dress and you're ready, you deserve to have your ceremony."

"You sure?" She trailed her fingers through Bri's soft hair, smiling as it caught the light creeping in through the large windows. "I can wait for you… Just tell me Brianna. We wanted this to be the Hohrykova takeover, our day in the spotlight. Our day to walk down the aisle side by side and let everyone see us marry the men we're in love with. Everyone would've been happy to get it over and done with. No having to go to two separate weddings."

"I'm sure." The brunette nodded her head slowly as she wiped at her face. "I can't hold you back Nik. It's not fair and I'm not sure when I'll be ready to have a wedding. I'm not physically ready for it. Emotionally I'm ready but with my back, no way."

"I understand." Nik sighed as she rolled on top of her sister and licked her chin. "I love you so much Bri Bri. You're so pretty, so very pretty. If you ever have a daughter, we will need to put her into pageants. Lots of pretty pageants. Which leads me to my next topic, I entered your baby Kajsa into a pageant and she needs her fabulous auntie to help her pick out the most perfect dresses and costumes for the pageant."

"Love you too." She laughed as she wrapped her arms around her sister. "I will happily be Kajsa's fairy godmother because you have no sense of fashion at all. Kajsa will look gorgeous in a blue or pink. Oh, maybe even in a white dress with lots of sparkles. You know what? She'd kill in a floral gown… Lots of flowers in her gorgeous hair."

"See, I knew you'd be on board." Nik sat up and smiled down at the brunette. "Come on, we need to get you showered and dressed. Kajsa is in Creed's room, no doubt decorating him with her new flower stickers."

"Creed is obsessed with Kajsa, like that's his pretty girl." Bri moved out of bed and sighed. "They'll be such good friends in life. It's going to be amazing."

"She loves his hair." Nik chuckled. "It's a shame, she'll talk about him though. Almost as much as she talks about her Kol. That's her Kol and I'm sure she'll fight anyone who says otherwise. She has a mean streak when it comes to her boo."

"Where's Ant at?" Bri sighed as she pulled on her jeans and looked up at her sister. "Please, do not judge me and my new look. I'm trying to be appropriate and look less like a hooker and more like a put together adult and mother."

The blonde rolled her eyes as she pulled on the back pockets of her sister's jeans. "I'm still not used to you wearing pants. It's weird. It's not you but I can get where you're coming from with wanting to put on a different persona for the outside world."

"Ok, I wear pants just not like these." bri laughed as she shoved her phone into her back pocket. "It's easier to carry a phone now, I'll give jeans props for that."

"You're a wreck, come on let's get the babies." Nik nodded. "It's going to be so much fun. I promise."

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"I'm in heaven right now." Brianna mumbled as she sat her niece and son on the display case before smiling. "You two have no idea how much I've wanted a diamond tiara and here it is. I want it and I'm going to buy it, regardless of the price tag, just don't tell Jax, or my dad. Ok?"

"Silly Bri." Kajsa reached out and swatted at her aunt's long hair. "I want diamonds."

"A woman after my own heart." Bri chuckled as she kissed Kajsa's forehead. "I so want a daughter, another one. My Monica has grown up too much. I wish she were your age once again."

"Where are we going after this?" Nik shook her head as she watched her sister stare blankly at the display case of tiaras. "To lunch?"

Bri finally looked back at her sister and shook her head. "No, no. We have to go to Charming, pick up the twins and Javier. Jax called while we were walking into this store. The twins are crying nonstop because their teeth are coming in and Javier is being himself. So he's probably judging Jax hard as fuck about not being able to stop the twins from crying."

"So, Javier is just you." Nik laughed as she tapped on the display case. "I'll buy you this tiara Bri, since you've been bankrolling her first pageant. This is the least we can do to show our appreciation."

"Pretty much." She nodded her head slowly and stood up. "I want that one, the one with the black diamonds on it. It looks like I can be an evil queen and I'm all for that. It'll go amazing with my new black bodycon dresses and skirts. At least I'll look like a bad bitch, instead of a street whore."

"You're going to walk around looking like a bigger bitch than you already look like Brianna." Nikola shook her head. "A little black widow. It'll be perfect."

"I don't plan on going off and luring men into my home then killing them after I get knocked up." She rolled her eyes. "I want this crown, then we can pick up some food and head to the clubhouse. I'm not in a hurry, Jax and the guys can handle the twins. They'll end up rubbing liquor on their gums but that's it."

"Anthony does that shit with Spencer, I swear the baby loves it and just gets drunk." Nik laughed and dropped her debit card on the counter and smiled at the woman behind it. "I want the black diamond tiaras over there. All three of them… Thank you."

"Alright, Miss Hohrykova." The woman smiled brightly. "I'll get them for you right now."

"Awesome." Nik nodded. "It's still so weird to have Hohrykova as a last name. I need to switch everything over to Robles. It'll make life easier, half my cards say Robles, the important shit says Hohrykova though. What do yours say?"

"Mikhailova and Hohrykova." Bri shrugged her shoulders. "I probably won't change anything over to Teller unless it's necessary, like insurance and what not. I'll leave everything else as Hohrykova and only my passport and ID say Mikhailova, I only went back to Hohrykova half way, then I got lazy over that shit."

"Is it a lot of paperwork?" Nik sighed as the lady handed her the card back before setting three bags down. "Thank you. Bri, I got you all of them, small, medium and large. You can be as understated or dramatic as you want to be."

"Way too much paperwork in some cases." Bri hugged her sister tightly. "Thank you babe, thank you for contributing to me being a spoiled ass brat."

"I'm glad I can help." She laughed as she kissed Bri's face. "Now let's go rescue your babies from their dad."

 **.**

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"Thank God." Jax huffed as he watched the white Escalade pull into the parking spot closest to where he was currently sitting with his youngest sons. They had finally stopped crying but the hours leading up to their nap had been complete hell for him and his club. With none of the croweaters and hang arounds able to calm the teething babies, it was up to the lot of men to have their hands at it. It was plain to see, they had all failed and the babies had managed to put each other to sleep. "Brianna."

"Jackson." Bri kissed Jax before looking down at her sons. "They put themselves to sleep huh babe? You guys had a hard day with them?"

"Yes." He nodded as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. "Nothing we did helped. Diaper changes, teethers, liquor on the gums, rocking them. It just all fell through. I barely got anything done."

"I'm sorry baby." She rested her head on his and sighed. "I'll take them home with me and then you can handle all of your club business. Alright? Does that sound good with you baby?"

Jax shook his head as she squeezed the brunette's sides. "I'd rather go home and fall into bed with you to be honest Bri. I miss you…"

"I miss you too." She nodded as he looked down at him. "We can fall into bed with each other. It'll be nice, just go easy on me, treat me like I'm a virgin or something."

"I can do that." He rubbed her thighs and smiled. "Do I even wanna know what you were like as a virgin?"

"Nope, that is something that no one wants to know and no one needs to know." She laughed as she stood up and adjusted her shirt. "Come on, let's get you finished up here so we can really go home and just fall in bed together."

"You sure about this Brianna?" He rested his hands on her hips, concern etched in his handsome features as he studied the brunette's face and body language carefully. "I can wait if you're still not ready for that babe."

"I'm ready to try." She nodded as she rested her hands on top of his and smiled. "I want to Jax. We can always just stop if I get uncomfortable with it. That's the beauty of being in a relationship, we can say no and back out of it."

"True, true. Let me finish up here then." He stood up, towering over the brunette before leaning down to kiss her lips softly before pulling away. "You going to stick around here and wait for me to finish or are you guys going to head back home. I just have a sit down with the Mayans, then I'll be done."

"I'll stick around, see if I can't pull Juice and Javier apart. Tell Marcus that I said hello." She shrugged. "Almost forgot I knew him huh?"

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded his head slowly. " _Almost_ being the key word there. Don't hurt Juice, we kinda need him around here for our security upgrades. You hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah. I won't hurt Juice." Bri smiled. "I'll play nicely, I promise you that much. Go, go handle your business and I'll be around annoying people. Juice! I'm here to annoy you and talk to you about some things about Javier."

"What's up?" Juice looked at the brunette and smiled. "Are you still wearing jeans?"

"Yes, yes I am still wearing jeans. It's really not a big deal at all. Everyone is making me feel weird and self conscious about me having on actual normal clothes." She shook her head and frowned. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about his birthday. Joint party this year, yeah? I was thinking about an actual party and not a party at the arcade. Where's your head at for the party?"

"It's just not your usual look, I think the only pants I've seen you in are the dress pants for when you were a surgeon and then leggings or yoga pants. Even back in high school, you kinda just wore skirts all of the time." He shrugged his shoulders. "We can do a party, I'm good with that. We can make it a themed party, dinosaurs maybe?"

"Yeah, yeah. I was thinking Jurassic World." Bri nodded her head slowly. "He's still so obsessed with dinosaurs it's amazing. I tried to get him into cars but he wasn't having it whatsoever. So, we can do this, back and forth. You wanna be in charge of decorations?"

"I can do the decorations." He nodded. "I just have one favor to ask of you Brianna, it's a big one but it's important to me…"

"I've already met your girlfriend if that's where you're getting at." She smiled at him. "Heidi, right? She was obvious and awkward and looked like a deer in headlights when I told her not to flirt or touch Jax. She was out of place, she didn't blend in. It was like oh look, another Brianna wandering into a place she doesn't belong."

Juice chuckled and shook his head. "I told her to relax and not make it obvious. She was bugging me about it. She had met Javi and felt bad that she hadn't met you. So, it was the only thing we could come up with."

"Well, I think a hey Bri do you want to meet my new girlfriend text would've worked. Or you could've brought her by when you picked up or dropped off our son but whatever floats your boat. You know I love awkward first impressions, so now I'll just see her as a random hang around." Bri smirked and shrugged her shoulders as she stood up from the swing. "Text me, we'll keep in touch about the party and everything. We can do it at my dad's house, it'll be neutral territory for everyone."

"She's not a hang around." He groaned as he looked up at the brunette and shook his head. "You need to tone it down, she won't try to parent Javier or anything."

"I'm not worried about that, if it gets to a point where you and her are serious and start having kids of your own, I will have no problem if she plays stepmom to Javier. As long as she does so with respect and fairness. I have no problem with her either, except for her bringing up getting to know Jax. That was a step over the line." Bri shrugged again. "Like I said, we'll keep in touch about the party. If you want to take him tonight, you can, just have him at school on time in the morning. Later."

* * *

 **wow, you all rocked it with the reviews from the last two chapters. it's been amazing and I loved reading it. I know this chapter wasn't as long as the previous ones but I do have a few hefty chapters ready to go. I just wanted to see if you all would like a chapter that focuses on the goofy but dramatic dynamic that is Happy and Monica, I also have a nice long one that has lots of Aleksandr and Sariya cuteness with their girls. so just let me knoooow. :)**


	79. His Girls

**April 12, 2015**

Aleksandr paced around the driveway of the Bat Cave, his mind moving a mile a minute as he tried to make sense of what he was about to do. He was going to buy the woman he was in love with a ring and he wanted it to be perfect. As he tapped his phone on his palm, he looked back up at the house. There was a blonde in there that he needed at his side as he made the journey forward in his life. She was the only one he trusted to help him make such a critical decision. So, it was now or never for him as he finally stopped pacing and moved to the front door, reaching forward and pressing the doorbell a few times before laughing to himself.

"I gotta spend less time with Brianna." He mumbled to himself as he slipped his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. He had even managed to switch out his usual suited attire for something more casual and laid back, or at least as laid back as he could be. "Come on, come on." He shook his head as he knocked on the door before sighing and leaning against the wall as he waited for the door to open up for him.

The door opened up to Jacey glaring up at the man as she rocked back and forth, trying to silence her crying daughter. "I'll kill you, Brianna junior. Where's the fire?"

"I thought I'd give it a try." He laughed. "No fire. I'm here for Camryn."

Jacey nodded her head slowly. "Uh huh and I'd like to start a fire on your face right now. Cami's in the living room. Currently telling her father that she wants to buy a new house." She stepped away from the door. "Come on, noise maker."

"I can buy a new house for her." He smiled. "Oh, Camryn! My dearest Camryn." Aleksandr smiled as he walked into the living room. "I hear you're in the market for a new house. What's wrong with this one?"

The little blonde leaned around the recliner, looking at the man calling for her. "Hi. Yes I am, these walls can't be painted on, mama says no more painting on the walls. I need a new house to paint on." She shrugged as she leaned back around to face her father. "I told on you to the big man, you're gonna get it now."

"You can always come to my house and paint my walls. They're white and need something done to them." Aleksandr nodded. "I came to pick you up, I need you and your keen eye for gorgeous things. It's ring shopping day."

Camryn shook her head. "No, I can't. Your house is too bland, it gives me migraines. Right mama?" She smiled at the blonde. "Me? I don't know about that, your best friend is upstairs though. He's building something with his legos."

"Bland? It's modern. Migraines?" He shook his head. "No, no. You told me the day in the hospital that you'd help me go ring shopping for Sariya. So I'm here to pick you up."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "No, it's bland. Like sugar cookies, just terrible." She nodded her head. "Well I didn't think that was a serious talk, you never like spending days with me unless you have to. But ok, I'll go with you. We'll pick out something wonderful for Sariya."

"I want you to help me spice up the house then." He nodded his head slowly and smiled. "It was a serious conversation. No, that's not true. I just get confused on what you like to do. I however have figured out a list of things that I want to do with you. So be prepared for me to steal you away now. We can find her something gorgeous, there's no budget at all."

Jacey kept her eyes on Camryn as she rolled her eyes. "Go get your boots, babe. He'll still be here when you get back. He's very adamant about stealing you away from us." She smiled as she watched the little girl take off up the stairs. "She's going to be skeptical, dad. She's shocked that you're here trying to spend time with her. Don't ask, don't get offended. Just accept it."

"I expected that." He smiled. "I just want to get to know her. See if she can offer up some love and design tips for my bland ass house. I thought it was nice and a step up from all of Brianna's monochromatic designs. I have color and flowers."

Happy shook his head. "That's not the way to go, connect with her over art but don't go so far. Just engage and show true interest. She's just the smaller version of Jacey, you're good with Jacey…" He smiled at Aleksandr. "Just gotta open the door and she'll never detach."

"Art is a good subject for me. Sariya made me go to Color Me Mine. I painted the most adorable piggy bank." Aleksandr grinned. "I can do that. My little Baby Blondie."

Jacey shook her head. "Don't push the art thing, she's surprisingly not all about art. Get her going about Ashtyn, movies, music, she's very into Happy's 90's rock collection so good luck." She smirked at the man. "Also, she doesn't know what to call you so she bounces between any nickname that pops up and Aleksandr. You're very welcome for the Jacey junior you get to spend a few hours with."

"90's rock?" He looked at Happy. "Ok, so I'll explore different topics with her then. She gonna call me Ale like old times? A few hours? I'm keeping her for life. I've always wanted two Jaceys."

Happy shrugged. "It was a good time for rock, do I judge you on your newfound interest in country music? Nope." He shook his head. "Aleksandr, it's much easier now that she's much more brilliant beyond 2 years. So nickname or Aleksandr, you'll also return her in a few hours because I guarantee she'll be done with you like normal. She tends to close up more with you because she expects you to toss her to the side." He shrugged again.

"I'm ready to go!" Camryn came down the stairs. "Do you have my seat in your car?" She looked up at Aleksandr.

"I don't have your particular seat but I did pick up a nice one." He smiled down at Camryn. "I have a seat for each of you. Creed likes the seats with the backs, Javier hates those so his doesn't have the back, the twins need special seats and Monica, well I force her into Creed's seat on occasion when she's giving me sass. You can tell me if you like the seat or we can get one you prefer. We have a few options for jewelry stores. We can go straight to the family jeweler or we can make different stops."

The little blonde pushed her curls back out of her face and shook her head. "Do you always talk a lot when you're nervous? You're the driver, it's up to you, Aleksandr." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes." He nodded. "Should've heard me on my first date with Sariya." He shook his head. "Let's go then. We'll go straight to the family jeweler. They have yet to let any of us down."

Jacey flashed Happy a smirk as she stood up, passing Ashtyn to him before she moved to Camryn and she bent down, pulling the little girl's long hair back into a ponytail. "Have fun, babe, be nice to him. He's a sweet one, pick out something very pretty for Sariya." She kissed Camryn's cheek. "Bye dad, remember what we told you."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't let Camryn drive the car until she's at least five feet tall." He smiled. "Or have you hit five feet already. We're going to have to check. I let Kol drive the car once, scariest moment of my life. I trust you to be a better driver though."

Camryn shook her head as she eyed the man carefully. "You're crazy, you're as bad as Bri when she thinks I'm mad at her. I'm not mad at you, either. I just don't know you and I don't know why you didn't invite your best friend."

"Kol is not my best friend, he's my bestest friend." He shrugged. "Elijah is my best friend. Igor is my second best friend, you're going to be my bestest friend too though. I know so."

She shook her head again. "I think you're crazy… Ok, whatever but still. You could've inviting him. Why me? You don't even like hanging out with me."

"I don't know you, so I need to hang out with you, get to know you then make you my bestest friend." He nodded his head slowly. "I want it to be just the two of us. We missed out on some crucial bonding time when you were away in Tacoma. This is making up for it. You're my granddaughter, I love you, I want to hang out with you Camryn. I'm sorry if I've made you feel like I don't like hanging out with you."

Camryn nodded her head. "Are you sure I'm your granddaughter? What makes that so?" She stopped walking, crossing her arms as she looked up at the man. "You could've visited, B did, I know I remember."

"Your mom is my daughter, so you're my granddaughter. It's the law of the land." He smiled down at her. "I could've visited. I should've visited but I didn't. I can't change it now, all I can do is try to make up for it. Get to know you now."

The little blonde nodded her head. "Do you like nachos?"

"I love nachos. With steak and extra jalapenos." He smiled. "They're good."

The blonde nodded again. "I like lots of cheese and steak. They're amazing." She smiled as she continued walking to the man's car. "I like tacos too."

"Tacos are my life. I could eat tacos every day." He opened the car door for her and chuckled. "If I tried to eat them all the time, Sariya would get on me. She told me I need to lose a bit of weight because I'm getting pudgy."

Camryn nodded her head once more and smiled. "You're not getting pudgy, tell her to stop trying to change you." She climbed into the car and sighed. "It smells like cheap cologne in here."

"Oh, does it now? Here I was thinking that my Armani was smelling good." He chuckled and nodded as he finished fastening her in. "So, tell me Camryn, do you like going to school or can you do without it?"

The blonde shrugged. "I just like going to art, math and recess. I get to see Javi during recess." She smiled. "I like seeing Javi, he's the best."

"What kind of games do you two play at recess?" He glanced back at her before pulling out of the driveway. "Is the jungle gym and tetherball still a thing?"

Camryn nodded her head. "It is but we play a lot of different games. It all depends though. Why are you marrying that Doctor?"

"I am not marrying the doctor. I just want to give her a ring because I love her." He looked back at her and smiled. "It's more of a promise ring. It lets her know that I'm going to be hers forever and ever."

The blonde shook her head. "Technically she is yours forever and ever if she's wearing the ring you got her, right? You'd have to wear a ring that she got you to let her know that your hers forever and ever." She shrugged. "Like mama and daddy, they both have rings and daddy said it's a symbol of their love for each other."

"She got me a chain. I only have one ring on my hand, it's the pinky ring that Brianna got me on my fortieth birthday." He shrugged. "I'd wear a ring if she got me one though. Did you and Javier ever go on your honeymoon?"

Camryn shook her head again. "Is she gonna be yours forever and ever?" She smiled. "No but it's ok, we also didn't have a big wedding. It was a bad time for the family."

"Yes, she's mine forever and ever." He nodded and grinned. "We can always have a bigger wedding if you two want one. Then we can think of somewhere cute for you to honeymoon at."

The blonde shrugged. "So for now since she doesn't have a ring, she could get another boyfriend if she wanted? That's kind of terrible. How sad." She shook her head. "I'd never breath again if Javi got another wife."

"She can't get another boyfriend unless she breaks up with me." He shook his head. "I'd be so sad if she got another boyfriend. My heart would hurt so bad. Javier would never get another wife. You're his one and only. His entire life."

Camryn shrugged again. "Don't be sad, it'd be her loss. You're a good Aleksandr. I know another one and he's stupid."

"That's sweet. I'll remember that." He smiled as he pulled into the parking lot. "Oh yeah? How stupid is the other one?"

She nodded. "You should. Don't ever forget it." She smiled. "Because he's just dumb, he can't even do math."

"I won't here we are." Aleksandr got out of the car and moved to the backseat, helping Camryn out of her seat. "He can't do math? Well that's a shame, it really is."

The blonde shrugged before stopping herself from crossing the parking lot and she looked up at Aleksandr. "I know, math is fun and easy."

He held out his hand for her and nodded. "I loved math when I was younger, now I don't deal with it much unless I'm buying something expensive. So, we'll probably do a little math when we go inside. See if they can't give us a good deal on a ring. Do you like wearing jewelry? Or are you indifferent about it?"

"Daddy likes math too. We're a lot alike, even though he says I'm like mama." She eyed him carefully before grabbing his hand tightly. "How did you know I needed to hold your hand? I like jewelry, sometimes."

"Brains and beauty. Javier is a lucky guy." He smiled. "It was just a hunch. Do you like necklaces? We can get you one that says anything you want."

Camryn shook her head slowly. "No necklaces, I don't wanna be bribed." She rubbed his hand. "You don't have to buy me things… I don't want anything."

"IT's not a bribery my dear." He shook his head. "It's a tradition. I buy all the women in the family a necklace at some point. I will hold off for now. If you change your mind in the future, just let me know ok?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulder. "I don't think so… I like just talking to you, it's nice." She smiled at him. "You're nice, Aleksandr."

"Thank you." He smiled back at her as they walked into the jewelry store. "I think you're nice too. Look at this place, I know we will find something good in here."

Camryn moved to the man quickly, wrapping an arm around his leg. "No! Please don't leave me." She murmured as she stared up at the man with tears in her eyes. "Don't."

"I won't leave you Camryn." He shook his head as he lifted her up and hugged her tightly. "I'm right here with you. I'm never going to leave you. I promise."

She laid her head on his shoulder, her free hand landing on his cheek as if to make sure he stayed with her. "This is too big, I don't want to get lost. Or you, you could get lost too and that's just as bad, papa."

"Together the entire time. You have my word." He rubbed her back and smiled as he moved towards the display cases full of rings. "We won't be getting lost at all."

The little blonde buried her face in his neck, keeping her hand on his cheek as she nodded slowly. "Do you swear?"

"Yes, I swear." He nodded. "There are so many options for rings. This is overwhelming. Okay, we can do this. I have faith in us."

Camryn leaned up, looking back at the first display case and tapped on the glass before grabbing the man's face again. "You're rambling again, stop it. It's ok. We can do it and we'll pick the most beautiful ring ever." She pressed a kiss to his forehead and nodded.

"I'm just nervous. The ring needs to be perfect." He smiled at her. "But I'll relax, I trust you when we say we'll find the right one."

The blonde tapped on the bell sitting on the countertop and sighed. "They should hurry. We have money to blow. I think you need to make five selections and we slowly narrow it down to the one we love most." She looked back at the man and smiled.

"Aleksandr!" The brunette behind the counter smiled. "Who's this gorgeous young lady? I don't believe I've met you yet."

"This gorgeous young lady is my granddaughter Camryn." Aleksandr smiled. "Camryn this is the family jeweler. Her name is Stepanka but we just call her Ana."

Camryn smiled at the brunette and waved. "Hi Ana!"

"Hello." Ana smiled back at Camryn. "Ring shopping I see. Is this gift for Jacey or Brianna this time around?"

Camryn gasped, covering her mouth. "You know my mama? Do you know my daddy too?" She looked back at Aleksandr, resting her forehead against his. "Does she know daddy?"

"If your dad is Happy, then yes I know him." Ana nodded. "I know your mom too."

The blonde started smiling. "Oh! She knows daddy and mama, Papa!" She looked back at Ana and pointed at the display cases. "We have to find the most perfect ring ever for his girlfriend."

"Oh, look at you Aleksandr, getting all serious." Ana laughed. "If I were to make a recommendation, I would suggest you look at this gorgeous ring. It's amazing. Lot's of diamonds. Look how gorgeous it is." She passed the ring to Camryn. "It's flashy but I love it."

The little girl shook her head and passed it back. "Nope, it's _too_ flashy and says 'look at me', give it to my aunt B. She loves flashy. Show me that one please."

"I can see Brianna wearing it." She placed it back in the case before passing Camryn the second ring. "You have an eye for diamonds. One of the best ones we sell in this place."

Camryn looked up and shook her head. "We don't want something that anyone else has. It was be unique, beautiful and not too flashy. Nice amount of diamonds and will make grandma smile."

"There isn't a budget either." Aleksandr shook his head. "We just want the best ring for the best grandma ever. Huh Camryn?"

The blonde nodded her head as she looked away from Aleksandr and started smiling. "Papa, what's in there? I wanna see that." She pointed at a diamond shaped display and nodded. "Ana, what's that?"

"Those are our newest line of rings. They have all sorts of diamonds from yellow diamonds to black diamonds back to red diamonds." Ana nodded. "Come on, follow me and I'll open up the display for you two."

Camryn nodded her head. "No colored diamonds, those are too tacky for her. We need something beautiful and something that you wouldn't possibly sell to anyone else because she needs to be the only one with such a ring." She smiled at Papa. "I'm not being too picky, am I?"

"No, you're not being too picky at all." Aleksandr shook his head. "Take us to the vault. We want to see the rings that aren't on display. She keeps the good rings in the back, won't put them out for a while, so we have a good shot at getting a one of a kind ring."

The little blonde nodded eagerly. "Ana, are you holding out on us right now? We can take our business elsewhere if that's the case." She shook her head as she crossed her arms.

"No, I'm not holding out on you. I usually need to price those rings but I'll make an exception and let you in the vault to look at the merch." Ana smiled at the pair before heading towards the vault. "You're now inside the vault. Take a look around."

Camryn pointed to a display on the far side of the room. "Papa, I see it. It's the one we're going to get, ok? I know it." She smiled as she wrapped an arm around his neck. "She's going to love it."

"Let's go check it out." Aleksandr smiled as he walked closer to the display before stopping in front of it. "It's gorgeous…"

The blonde nodded as she tried to open the display case. "It's the one, I know it."

"Let me open it for you." Ana unlocked the display case and passed the ring to Camryn. "There it is, in all of its glory."

Camryn started smiling and nodded her head, as she stared at the ring. "Look papa, it's the one. It just screams grandma!"

"You're right. I love it." Aleksandr nodded his head slowly. "We'll take it. Ring us up Ana. Camryn, do you see anything you like? We can bundle it and get a nice discount."

The blonde nodded her head. "Yes. I saw a pretty necklace that I'm going to give to mama. She needs a new gift to make her smile… Papa, you just don't understand. The baby is nuts, she's got too many moods and it's crazy."

"Let's get it then." He nodded and smiled. "My girl here, has amazing taste in jewelry. I'm proud. You're up there with Brianna. She loves her jewelry, especially watches. It's insane."

Camryn shrugged. "I won't let it show like her. She's wild but it's ok because I still love Bri, she's the best ever. I wanna get her something too, let's get her that pretty bracelet right there!" She pointed to the display case beside the case they were looking at. "Oh and Niki, I need to get her something. How about those earrings? She'll love them!"

"Let's just get everyone a little something, something." Aleksandr nodded his head. "What about Kol? See anything for him yet?"

Camryn shook her head. "Noooo, just my mama, my aunts and grandma. No one else. I wish they made jewelry small enough for my Ashtyn." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "But she's too tiny."

"They do make tiny bangles." Ana smiled. "We have some in stock. They're gold."

The blonde nodded her head. "Let's put her name on it too, it's Ashtyn. I forgot how to spell it though. Papa, tell her how to spell it." She leaned her head against his and smiled. "I think that will be enough, we're spending too much money as it is, Papa."

"You don't want anything for yourself? What about a necklace like Monica has, the gold one with her name on it?" Aleksandr smiled. "Nothing wrong with spending money on the people you love and care for."

She shook her head. "Nope, I don't want a necklace like Monica. I'd want my own necklace and style. I don't want one today. Maybe another time, ok? Let's get you something too. Ana?! Show us the men's selection of rings."

"I can appreciate the individuality." He nodded his head slowly. "Another time." He followed after Ana and smiled. "I'm excited to get another ring."

Camryn nodded her head. "You can't ever take this one off, ok? If you do then I'll take that as a breakup." She smiled as she laid her head on the man's shoulder. "I like spending time with you, papa."

"I promise that it will stay on my finger as soon as I put it on." He nodded. "I enjoy it as well. I'm happy we're doing this Camryn."

The blonde nodded her head as she kissed his cheek. "Mama's right about you." She smiled at him before looking at the display case. "Ana, I like that black one. It's perfect for papa, he likes black."

"That one is super nice. Shall I engrave it with anything on the inside?" Ana smiled. "We can put a date, a name, initials, anything really."

The blonde nodded her head. "Yes, that's a good idea. Put ' _Love you Papa_ ', then pul C-A-L, that's my 'nitials… Camryn Aria Lowman." She smiled widely her dimples appearing as she looked at Ana.

"I can do that." Ana nodded eagerly. "Gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl. Those dimples are everything."

The blonde nodded her head. "Thank you, my daddy picked it out. He named all of us. Except Monica Lowman. She's the unique one with her made up middle name." She smiled and nodded again.

"Oh, Miss Monica Elizaveta is your sister!? I didn't know that!" Ana smiled. "That's so awesome. Let me get all of this engraved and rung up. I'll be right back. There are snacks and waters, just like always."

Camryn nodded once more. "She's interesting, papa. I don't know how much I like her there. She's too chipper, it's all a lie too." She shrugged.

"She gets paid to be that happy all of the time. She's actually a grump in the face when she's not working." He laughed. "She's got a mean streak."

The blonde nodded her head. "Kol called mama a grump in the face the other day. It's because she wouldn't cuddle him. He's just needy sometimes, such a mama's boy."

"He is needy." Aleksandr nodded. "What did you learn at school this week? Anything interesting?"

Camryn shook her head. "I learned things I already knew in art class, they're behind." She smiled at him. "I'm getting tired."

"We're almost finished here, then we can grab something to eat on the way home if you're hungry but if not we can just go home. We can do a sleepover at my house soon too, if you'd like." He smiled back at her. "You have your own room at my place. You can paint it however you like."

The blonde shook her head. "No food, just cuddles. Will you cuddle with me? Please." She sighed as she started trailing her fingers through the man's short black hair.

"Yes, I will cuddle with you." He nodded. "I think it's all done. She's coming back."

Camryn nodded her head slowly. "Are you going to nap with me? We have to make Bri and Niki come over to get their presents."

"Yes, I will nap with you as well." He smiled. "We can call them and tell them to stop by. Your mom is going to love her present. You picked out something gorgeous. Sariya will love her ring. I can't wait to give it to her."

She nodded her head eagerly. "I can't wait to give it to her, I hope they all love their gifts." She smiled at him. "You have to tell me how she likes her ring… Pinky promise?"

"They will love their gifts." He nodded as he signed his name to a receipt. "Let's get out of here. We got these cute little gift bags and everything."

Camryn smiled as she wrapped her arms tightly around Aleksandr's neck. "Thanks for a fun shopping trip. I like hanging out with you, papa." She kissed his cheek and sighed. "Now to call B and Niki, you gotta do it. I don't have my own phone."

 **.**

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 **.**

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"Daaaaad." Bri whined as she wrapped herself around her father and poked out her bottom lip. "Where have you beeeeen? I missed youuuu so much and I want some cuddles!"

"When did you revert back to your four year old self my love?" He hugged the brunette tightly and chuckled. "I've been out shopping, for a ring. Camryn went with me to help me pick out one for Sariya."

She gasped and dropped to the floor. "You're proposing to her!? Dad! What!? You're gonna make her your wife!? Nooooo, dad! What!? No way! I'm excited! Let me see the ring! Please!"

"Yes." He nodded slowly as he helped her up to her feet. "Could you be any louder? I want it to be a surprise, I need to set up everything before I pop the question. I don't want you to go around blabbing about this either Brianna. Camryn and I picked you out a present though, so maybe you'll stay quiet if I give it to you. Is your sister Nik still around?"

"I'm not going to blab about it." She shook her head as she grabbed his hands and started tugging him into the large living room. "Nik Nik, dad wants you!"

"I swear, I don't know what Anthony did!" Nik shook her head as she looked up at her father before over at her husband. "Shush, I'm not tattling on you babe."

Aleksandr shook his head and smiled. "No, no. I have a gift. I spent an amazing few hours with Camryn. It was very needed and I enjoyed myself quite a whole lot."

"Oh, presents." Kajsa looked up at the man. "Gimmie, gimmie!"

"Miss Kajsa." He lifted her up with ease and smiled. "I didn't forget you at all." He set a flower crown on her head before setting her back down. "They were the prettiest roses I could find a t the shop, she showed me how to craft it. So now I think we can make those together."

"I love it." She twirled around and giggled. "Roses are so cool, look daddy, look at my crown. Hims gave it to me!"

"I don't know where the _hims_ thing came from." Anthony shook his head. "You look gorgeous though. The roses go with your cute little dress."

"Enough about her, I want my present." Nik smiled up at her dad. "I've been behaving, haven't let Bri get me into any shenanigans today."

"Bad mama." Kajsa shook her head. "She was bad with B!"

"Oh was she now?" Aleksandr looked down at the little girl and smiled. "No present for her then?" He started to pull the bag away from Nik only to have the blonde snatch it and run. "Uh oh my dear, you better go catch your mom!"

"I want my present dad." Bri looked at the man and smiled. "I didn't even do anything bad, Nik dragged me to the strip club." She shook her head as she was handed a gift bag. "Ugh, I love jewelry. This bag is from the family jeweller."

"I don't know why I spoil you and Nik so much." He shook his head as he watched the brunette pull out the velvet box and quickly open it, sliding the ring and bracelet on. "So, do you love the set? Camryn helped me pick it out."

"Because you love them dearly." Sariya smiled at the man as she walked into the living room holding a platter of cookies, brownies and cupcakes. "No matter how bad the two of them are together you can't help but spoil them."

"Intelligent woman." Aleksandr kissed his girlfriend and smiled. "Maybe if you continue to behave I'll start spoiling you just as much."

"I'm the best behaved thing in the world." Sariya chuckled. "However if I keep going on shopping trips with Brianna I may end up poor."

"Um, where is my gift?" Monica cleared her throat as she picked up a cupcake from the platter. "Nik, mom, Kajsa… Monica?"

"Next time." He nodded. "I promise."

"Alright." She shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll just inherit those gifts eventually."

"I'm immortal, I will never die." Bri flicked her daughter's ear. "Don't be a brat and you'll get more stuff."

Monica chuckled. "You're a bigger brat than I am and you're always getting gifts." She shook her head. "I'm going back next door. I have homework to finish anyways. Later people."

"She's a cuckoo." Aleksandr shook his head. "I got something for her, it's being sized. I can't forget her, my first grandchild. The little girl who pissed on many of my shirts and giggled about it. Couldn't get enough of her when she was a little thing."

"I remember that." Bri laughed and shook her head. "I also remember how many times she spit up on Elijah. He just one day just started burping her without his dress shirt on."

"Elijah is a good looking young man." Sariya smirked at Aleksandr. "Too young for me though."

"Oh not you too!" Aleksandr grumbled. "First Bri, then Jacey, then Nik, then Jacey again." He rolled his eyes. "He's not all that great!"

"Terrible." Nik chuckled as she dropped to the floor with Kajsa. "Absolutely terrible. That's what he is." She nodded eagerly. "I dated Elijah for like two seconds and failed."

"You're not his type, not American or blonde enough." Anthony smirked at his wife. "Luckily enough for me, you're very much my type and now you're my wife."

"Which reminds me, when are the weddings?" Aleksandr looked between his daughters. "I need to know these things so I can pick out perfect tuxedos."

"Ours is in August." Nik nodded. "After Monica's birthday but before the twins."

"Mine is in December." Bri nodded slowly. "Winter wonderland theme to go with the gorgeous dress I had originally fallen in love with. So, you'll need a white tux for mine and a black one for Nik's. We haven't figured much out after that but venues, menus, and decor are all set in stone. I do however need bridesmaids dresses and a cake."

"I just need a cake. Bri did most of the planning." Nik shrugged. "Dad, you can foot the bill for the cake, yeah?"

"Of course." He nodded and smiled. "Just let me know and I'll have the cash waiting for you to pick up to pay for the cake. I just ask that neither of you pick a coconut flavor, it's not something that I want in my life."

"We all hate coconut." Bri stuck out her tongue and shook her head before jumping onto her dad's back. "Don't worry dad, we've kept your tastes in mind when we did the menus. So you'll be happy and full at each wedding. I love you."

"Love you too." He laughed as Nik wrapped her arms around him. "I love you too Nik."

"Duh dad, I know." Nik smiled up at him. "Even if I give you a hard time and take forever and sixteen years to return your call."

"I never miss his calls." Bri shook her head. "Always answer on the third ring, so he knows I'm excited but not too eager." She chuckled as she dropped to her feet and pulled her sister into a tight hug. "We're getting married! I am too excited for this… It's going to be too amazing."

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 **thank you so much for all of the feedback last chapter. it was exciting to read it all. um, this was a long chapter, the next one will be a long chapter and then we'll have some birthdays, some weddings, maybe some holiday shenanigans.**


	80. Breathe

**April 18, 2015**

Jax studied the brunette carefully, the way she moved, the way she talked, the way she laughed and most importantly the way her eyes twinkled. Brianna was becoming more and more like her old self. A better version of who she was before she was attacked. He couldn't help but admire her and love her even more. She managed to captivate him, time and time again. "Brianna…" He reached forward, touching the small of her back, effectively capturing her attention fully. "You're going to be late for your appointment if you keep these nice people too long."

"I'm sorry." Bri laughed as she let Jax pull her away from the couple. "Babe, they've been married for seventy years. I had to stop and talk to them. They were in matching outfits and everything. They are so adorable. That'll be us in three decades. Going out, matching outfits, holding hands and making younger people smile."

He chuckled, pulling the brunette closer to him as the walked into the elevator. "You're a mess, do you know that right? It makes me love you even more though." He nodded his head slowly. "I also like this switch up in outfits… I can't keep my eyes off how that skirt is hugging you in all of the right places… Maybe you should just skip this appointment. It's just therapy."

"Hmmm." She grabbed his hands and laced their fingers together before shrugging. "I've been skipping therapy. I need to go this time and talk. You'll be in the room with me. It'll be interesting. I haven't really opened up to this doctor before. She was always a little too smiley but I hope she is better now."

"I'm going for moral support." He nodded slowly as he was yanked off the elevator and towards a door by the brunette. "If she tries to get me to talk about my life, I'll be out of that room with a swiftness."

"Shut up." She laughed and shook her head. "She won't ask you about your life unless you're paying her for the appointment. This thing, this whole attack… It's been terrible and I think I'm ready to talk about it to someone other than my mom. Like Jacey saw the aftermath, she cared for me and she just let me cry and sleep. That helped, I love her for that. Now though, it's time for me to actually talk about it. I feel like I'm in a nice place to do so."

"Like I said, I'm here for support." Jax kissed her cheek before opening the door for her. "I'm glad that you want me to hear the whole story."

"Warning, it's a horrible story." Bri nodded as she signed in and quickly took a seat. "It's like, I don't know. I guess half of me just pushed all of this shit aside and just moved on while the other half was ready to move forward but it's good that we're here and I'm talking about it all."

"You should know that pushing this type of shit down isn't good." He sighed as he rubbed his face up and down. "You gotta talk about it and heal that way-." He stopped mid sentence at the sound of Bri's name being called. "You ready?"

"That's me." Bri stood up, adjusting her skirt before grabbing Jax's hand. "Let's go. This is your last chance to back out… In case you don't want to hear any of the details."

"Nah, I can handle it." He squeezed her hand as they walked into the office behind the doctor. "This place is the entire opposite of your office babe, super colorful."

"I added a few pops of color into my office." She shook her head as she took a seat on the plush leather sofa and sighed. "Sit babe."

"Yeah because adding cream to stark white is a pop of color." Jax rolled his eyes as he sat down beside the brunette. "Yes Brianna, I paid attention when you dragged me shopping and bought all the cream colored nonsense."

"Aww, baby." Bri kissed the man's cheek and smiled widely. "I knew you loved me so, so much babe."

"Brianna, so glad for you to be here." The blonde smiled. "I'm Dr. Sanders." She shook Jax's hand and nodded before taking a seat. "I guess we're here today because you finally want to speak openly about everything Brianna."

"Yup." She nodded as she tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled. "I wanna talk about it, I want to face it and overcome it fully. I know it'll always be buried in the back of my mind but I at least will be able to say I faced it and I overcame it. It's just taken such a toll on my mind, my body, my life… I just don't want it to have an ounce of control anymore. The only thing that still worries me, is the woman who attacked me so violently, the woman that wanted to take me from my family is still out there somewhere and I'm worried that she'll never be found and punished for what she did to me."

"Just start from wherever you want to." Dr. Sanders encouraged as she jotted down some notes before looking up at Bri and Jax. "I'm all ears."

"I guess I can start with being snatched." She spoke softly as she fidgeted with her engagement ring. "Like I've been scared before but this was a whole new level. My need and want to fight for my life kicked in right away. All I could see were my babies and needing to get home to them, not to leave them. I think that's what kept me going strong and wanting to fight back. Knowing that I have five kids that would be motherless if the worst had happened. I know they'd be taken care of if I had passed or I was still gone but I want and need to raise them. I need to watch them hit all of their milestones and become happy and healthy adults." She nodded slowly. "One of the men, he was shocked that I fought back. I offered them _everything_. The car, money, jewelry but when they declined, I instantly knew this was something personal. Something fueled by vengeance and I couldn't even figure what I had ever done to be attacked… To be held down and raped. Like it just perplexed me. I still don't understand why it had to happened or who was behind it…"

"Do you think it happened because of what your family has been known for?" Dr. Sanders looked up from her note pad. "I'm just curious."

"I don't know, possibly." She shrugged as she looked up at the woman. "I really don't know. I don't know what my family would have done for there to be retaliation in California. The majority of my family is still over in Russia. It's just me and a sister out here."

"Deep breaths." Jax grabbed Bri's hand and squeezed it softly. "Breathe easy, take it slow babe."

"This woman…" She sighed as she looked at her lap. "She was so vicious, so cruel, so heartless. I could tell she wasn't a mother because what mother would want to take a mother from her children for good? She kept talking to me like she knew me, she was the one with a grudge and I couldn't even tell you why really. She brought up my business being threatening to her husband's but that couldn't just fuel a violent attack like that- The business would've continued even if I had been killed."

"Why would your clinic be a threat to her husband's business?" Dr. Sanders looked at the brunette. "Makes no sense."

"Oh no." Bri shook her head. "I am co owner of an arms store. Keeping the family business thriving. It's what we're known for in Russia, so I thought I'd bring it stateside."

"Irrelevant." Jax shook his head. "It's not about the business, it's about this being a personal attack and the frustration it's caused that the police can't find shit. It's about the fact that she has her moments when she's still terrified to walk out of the house. What kind of life is that to live? Having to look over your shoulder all of the time. Not being able to let your guard all the way down."

"I have some days that are easier than others." Bri nodded slowly. "I don't know what the woman looks like or the men. So it's a constant wonder if she'll pop out of nowhere and try to finish what she started."

"Those are all relevant and normal feelings." Dr. Sanders nodded again. "I'm just sorry that they have no leads and cannot find who did this. Have you tried a private investigator? Or a detective that does more freelance work? They could put in the time to actually look, based on any information you do have. I know the police department gives up when they have what they deem to be nothing."

"Ahead of you on that." She shrugged. "We have some working on what I can piece together and they pulled video from nearby businesses and all of that." Bri sighed as she squeezed Jax's hand. "I think I'm done talking about this for today." She stood up, fixing her skirt again before exiting the office quickly, feeling a panic arise in her chest as she made her way towards the elevator, ignoring Jax calling her name. She knew the men had been more or less dealt with by her dad but it was the woman. The _faceless_ woman that still haunted her from time to time.

"Brianna, what's wrong?" Jax looked down at the brunette as they walked onto the elevator. "Talk to me or I can't help you babe."

"I can't breathe." She shook her head as she unbuttoned her shirt and passed it Jax. "I just can't breathe right now. I'm having a panic attack."

"Alright." He nodded slowly as he led the brunette out of the building and towards the car. "Just sit on the hood, I'll grab your water. Just also ignore the people who are staring at you right now."

"They act like they've never seen a woman in her bra before." She accepted the bottle of water, taking a few slow sips before setting it besides her. "God, I didn't know I was still so afraid of this entire situation. It's the whole not knowing where that woman is that sent me into a panic. Like the guys are dealt with but this woman… She needs to be dealt with next."

"She will be." Jax rubbed the brunette's sides and nodded. "I'm going to talk with your dad, see if he has any leads. I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out. With his connection and my connection to the Irish. We can figure out who this woman is and where she's hiding out."

"Do whatever you need to do." She sighed as she felt her heartbeat start to regulate itself. "I just don't want to be afraid anymore babe. I want to have peace of mind and I want to be able to know that the people who did this to me were dealt a punishment that they deserved."

 **April 24, 2015**

Jax adjusted Creed's white shirt before setting him back to the ground. He had tried to leave his oldest son at home but Creed had other plans. Instead of peacefully staying behind, he protested with a loud temper tantrum, one that had effectively woken up the twins and Brianna who all needed to be fast asleep. He looked down at his son and shook his head. "You happy with yourself? Are you happy to be here? Look, it's Kajsa!"

"Pretty." Creed nodded his head and smiled as he took off towards the tiny little girl. "Hi."

"Hi my Creed." Kajsa kissed his head and giggled. "Your hair smells like roses!"

"Jax." Nik smiled at the man before pointing towards the bar. "We can sit and talk over there. They'll be fine just roaming around. It's freshly cleaned and the girls that are here now are great people."

"He wouldn't let me leave home without him." He shook his head as he walked over to the bar with Nik and took a seat. "So, you said we needed to go over some numbers, here I am and I want to know what is going on and if we're doing well."

"We're doing very well actually." Nik nodded as she set a brown envelope on the bar. "In cash, just like you asked for. Still makes no sense that you have no bank accounts and no credit cards. How do you survive in the real world? What if you wanted to buy my sister a house? Are you just going to turn up with a duffle of cash and hope that it doesn't look suspect?"

"I don't need to buy her a house." He shook his head as he opened the envelope before looking at the blonde. "This looks like a few thousand."

"Thirty two thousand to be exact." She shrugged her shoulders. "Like I continue to tell you. This is a very lucrative business if you know what you're doing and what men like. The dancers are talented, gorgeous and happy. Them being happy is the most important part, they perform better when happy. So, you know, business has been amazing. Now you can split that with your guys or whatever it is that you do."

"I'm still not quite grasping how this club does better than other ones." He slipped the thick envelope into the inside pocket of his kutte and smiled. "Like can you enlighten me on that aspect? I need to understand it."

"I just told you… The girls are happy. It's not a sleazy club, they don't have to worry about a customer getting to handsy or having to go into a booth and give an illegal blow job to make tips. This is an experience for the men that frequent here. They love what they see, so they pay the premium prices and tip the girls well. Are you going to be happier to see a twenty year old in a g string or a forty year old woman in one? It's like basically porn, you still have the porn thing right? People will pay more to see what they want and like."

"Well, the girls are easy on the eyes. Especially that brunette over there, the one holding Creed." Jax nodded. "Please don't tell Bri I said that! She just reminds me of Brianna."

Nik laughed and shook her head. "That brunette was actually picked by Bri. You two have similar tastes. Bri picked her because of her hair and the tattoos. She said I needed more dark haired beauties because not every man is solely into blondes."

"Gotta love her." He smirked. "So, I want to ask you something. It's more so wedding related than business related."

"Go for it." She nodded. "What is this question?"

"Your sister, she's being difficult as hell. She doesn't want a ceremony anymore… Lack of support from Jacey and all of that good shit." Jax shook his head. "Like she'll go from being excited about planning it to hating the idea completely. So, I was thinking about pulling out her wedding dress from the back of the closet and laying it across the bed so she gets excited for a wedding again. I want her to be happy and I know that if she does some courthouse wedding, she'll regret it later. Like she's built for a extravagant wedding and so she needs to have one."

"Stay on her about the wedding. With Jacey's support or not, she deserves to have a wedding and she needs to think less about what Jacey likes or dislikes because quite frankly it's not about Jacey. It's about you and Bri, getting married and the family celebrating it. Bri has wanted a wedding since she found out what they were. She was a flower girl for our uncle and on that day she declared that a winter wonderland wedding is what she wanted. She literally cried for a week straight when our father Viktor forced her into marrying Max because she had zero say in that wedding. Couldn't even pick out her own wedding dress either." Nik shook her head. "This is all about her and somewhat about you but she can't let Jacey's feelings hold her wedding hostage. It's on Jacey if she doesn't want to support the relationship. You guys have been together how long now? If you were going to fuck my sister over, you would've done it already. If you were going to walk out, that would've been done already. So, yes pull the dress out and let her have a reminder of what she wants in life. I'll get on her about it too."

"Didn't think you'd take a breath right there." Jax chuckled and nodded his head. The blonde had a valid point, Bri shouldn't put her wants on the back burner because of what Jacey dislikes. Bri should have her dream wedding and he was going to make sure it happened, even if it meant he had to start getting fitted for a white tuxedo. "The wedding is going to happen. I'm going to make sure her dream of a winter wonderland wedding comes true."

"Creed got lipstick on him!" Kajsa tapped on Jax's legs and pointed to her cousin's face. "Him smooched with the girls!"

The man looked down at his son and laughed. "Your mom is going to kick my ass if she sees you like that. Do you have body glitter on your shirt Creed?" He looked at Nik. "I thought this was a classy establishment?"

"Hey, I can't tell them not to wear glitter and sparkles." Nik laughed as she passed Jax a baby wipe. "He'll clean up nicely. I however am taking pictures of this to show my sister that her son is a little flirt already."

"Help us all." Jax shook his head as he smiled at his son. "Hopefully Bri will think it's cute because he went to the brunette she picked." He lifted up Creed and set him on the bar before doing the same with Kajsa. "Distract him while I start cleaning this lipstick off of him."

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 **as always thank you for the feedback. I also hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was fun to write and i still love the dynamics that are forming between Nik and Jax. They go back and forth but it's all fun.**


	81. Dynamic

**April 30, 2015**

Javier Ortiz smiled to himself as he climbed up the shelves of the pantry. He wanted the good snacks. The ones his mom put up and out of reach. His favorite snacks. The gummy bears, the starbursts and all of the candy his mom continually told him that would rot his teeth if he had too much of it. "Almost there." He looked back down at his younger brother Creed and nodded. "Tell me if mom is coming ok?" He shook his head, hoping the little boy understood what he was saying.

"Candy." Creed grinned and pointed to the very top shelf before squealing as he was lifted off of the ground. "Uh oh!"

"Busted." Monica shook her head as she reached forward and pulled Javier off of the shelf before setting him to his feet and grabbing the candy. "You could've gotten hurt Javi." She passed him the candy and smiled. "Next time just ask, better yet, there's a little step ladder and a paper grabber in that closet over there. All you'd have to do is get both and bam, access to all of the candy."

"Thank you." Javier nodded as he looked at the candy in his hands. "Mom never lets us have any of the good stuff!"

She shrugged. "Well, if you ever get desperate, I have a black shoe box in the bottom of the trunk at the foot of my bed. It's filled with chips, cookies, candy and a few Dr. Peppers, just don't go overboard with it. I'd like to come home to snacks." She grinned. "Where's mom anyways?"

"She's in her office, wedding stuff." He shrugged as he handed Creed a handful of gummy bears. "You want some skittles?"

"I will take some of the sour ones." Monica grabbed a handful and smiled. "Make sure you don't give him any of the skittles or m&ms, make sure he just sticks with the gummy candies. Don't need him to choke on anything."

"When are you gonna move back in?" Javier sighed as he grabbed his sister's hand. "I miss you Moni."

"I don't know, maybe soon." She nodded as she squeezed his hand. "I miss you too. I'm going to be here for awhile. We can cuddle and watch movies, maybe even try to make some popcorn like old times."

"Good." He nodded as he hugged her legs. "Is your icky boyfriend Nicholas coming over then? You two kiss too much."

"We don't kiss too much." She laughed and hugged him back. "But yes, Nick is coming over to hang out for a little bit. You wanna hang out with us? I think he's bringing over some new video games. I told him he can use the media room. I'm ordering pizza."

"I'm going to hang out because I want to feel him out." Javier nodded as he shoved candy into his sister's pockets. "You need snacks in case you get stressed out. You always eat lots of candy when you're stressed. You chew your nails when you're nervous and when you lie you like to fidget with your bracelets."

"Shut up, stop paying so much attention to me. I'll start to think you love me or something." She laughed as she kissed his forehead. "What kinda pizza do you want Javier? I'll get you your own little personal pizza. I think pepperoni and bacon are a successful combo. I think banana peppers on pizza is a thing as well."

"Can I get the pizza meal that comes with the toy dinosaur? I saw it on TV." He flashed her his biggest grin and nodded. "Please!?"

"Yeah." Monica nodded. "You can have the kids' meal for you. Shall I tell them you want a T-Rex? Or do you want to be surprised?"

"Surprise me." He nodded as he grabbed her hands. "You're pretty cool Monica Lowman."

"So are you Javier Ortiz." She kissed his hands and smiled. "If mom saw us right now, she'd be crying over how cute we are. She's so dramatic huh?"

"Very dramatic." Javier rolled his eyes. "But I love her to death! When she stopped being dramatic I was sad."

"Same." She nodded her head slowly. "But now she's back to being dramatic. Do you know she yelled at the baker at the donut shop because the icing on the donut wasn't right? She claimed it threw off her vibes."

"I believe it." He chuckled. "How did you put him to sleep?" He poked at Creed's barefoot. "He didn't even finish his gummy bears."

"I dunno." She shrugged as she adjusted Creed. "At least he clings like a baby monkey so we're good. Come on, let's go set up the media room."

 **.**

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 **.**

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Javier stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed as he watched the teenage boy hug his sister. He shook his head, clearing his throat loudly before pushing off the wall and approaching the couple. "I'm Javier Ortiz, I'm the chaperone." He stepped between his sister and her boyfriend. "No trying to kiss her either or I'll have to kick your ass. You hear me _Nicholas_? If that is even your real name."

"Nicholas Ballenbacher." Nick smiled down at Javier. "Don't worry, I won't be trying to kiss on your sister. I promise."

"Good." Javier nodded slowly. "I'll still be watching you. I'll be sitting right over there, eating my pizza, watching you carefully. My sister is _precious_ to me. I don't need a stupid boy breaking her. She's like a delicate porcelain doll."

"I don't plan to break her and I am taking your promise very seriously." He nodded slowly, the smile dropping from his features. "I like Monica a whole lot, she's my girl and I'm going to treat her like a princess."

"Uh huh?" Javier rolled his eyes. "Like I said, I'll be watching _Nicholas_."

"He's like five but capable of handing out an ass kicking." Monica shrugged as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and smiled. "Come on, fire up the video game. I wanna try it out."

"He's intense." Nick nodded as he let the brunette pull him towards the large bean bag and dropped down. "But I get it, he wants to protect his little porcelain doll."

"He's a mess." She dropped down next to him and smiled. "I ordered pizza and raided the pantry for snacks. My mom and stepdad Jax are around here somewhere. Don't worry, my grandpa is nowhere near here. I know how much he scares you."

"He's a giant wearing a suit, I'm sure he scares most people that he comes across." He shrugged. "Here, take a controller, I'll show you how to play this game."

"The man is a teddy bear." Bri shook her head. "I don't remember giving permission for Nick to come over Monica. With everything that has been going on, you know you should be asking me before having guests."

"It's Nick." Monica tilted her head back and smiled at her mom. "We're eating pizza and playing video games. Javier is being the chaperone. We won't cause any trouble, I promise." She stood up and walked to the woman, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Come on mama, he'll stay two hours then he'll be on his way. I promise youuuu."

"Fine, fine." She nodded as she flicked her daughter's nose. "I hold you to that promise. Two hours then he's gone. I think your dad may be stopping by to see Jax by that time anyways and if you don't want those two meeting just yet, then I suggest getting him out of here on time. I really don't want any drama today. So, he doesn't need to meet your little boyfriend like that."

"Alright, alright." Monica nodded and smiled. "Love you mom."

"Love you too, don't make me regret this." Bri smiled. "Door stays open, there are more eyes on you than just Javier's… Remember that."

"Sorry about that." She shook her head as she dropped back down on the bean bag chair. "Not the best time for the family right now. Mom went through some things and it's just now being resolved, so we're kind of a bigger mess than usual."

"That's alright." Nick kissed Monica's cheek and nodded. "Explains why I couldn't come around for a bit and you'd just text and call me."

"And annoy you with bad jokes and pictures of random shit." She chuckled as she rested against him and sighed. "I'm glad I had you though and you didn't push me to hang out and stuff. I'm also glad we're hanging out right now."

"You're my girl, I'm going to be around for you." Nick nodded as he laced their fingers together. "Some of the pictures were dope though. I liked the one of you sitting on the roof of the treehouse, it was scary but beautiful."

"Almost fell to my death trying to get off of the roof." She shook her head. "I don't know, it was just a time of emotion and exploration. Even though my therapist told me that I'm twelve and should be more like a kid. I can't even figure out how to be a kid. Like my childhood was completely lost. When I was discovering it again, it was back to back to back siblings. I had _zero_ time to just play with dolls. I felt like I needed to help everyone in anyway. Like I went from like six to sixteen in the span between Camryn being born and Javier being born. Yeah, I have my childish and immature moments but most of the time I feel like I'm already twenty and on my way out of the house."

"Well babe, if you must know I love that you're a bit more mature. It's nice." He smiled at her. "However if you ever want to feel like a kid again just say so and I have the most perfect place to take you to. You'll be instantly six years old again. I go there when I'm not on probation."

"Don't even bring that up." She sighed. "That word is no good. My dad could walk in here at any moment and flip his lid. He's against the whole cliche of the good girl and the bad boy. We already need to tell him about us anyways, we'll work in the whole probation thing at a later date." She kissed his cheek and smiled. "That and the age difference. It'll be worked out later."

Nick nodded slowly, looking over at Javier before back at Monica. "Well, I'm good with keeping those two topics to ourselves until the timing is right but I do want to meet your dad and get that over with. He'll already be against it, you're his little girl from what I've picked up from you. So, we'll play it by ear with all of this."

Monica smiled before kissing the tip of his nose. "Yeah, yeah. I am his little baby girl. You'll get used to him. I promise." She winked. "Now, show me how to play this damn game."

 **May 3, 2015**

Jax stood in the massive room that Brianna swore up and down was a closet. His eyes scanning over the clothes, shoes, purses and everything else the brunette seemed to have hoarded away over the years. He was in the closet for a reason, to pull out the wedding dress Bri had fallen in love with the moment she had laid eyes on it. He knew he wasn't supposed to see it but then again he and Brianna were far from traditional. They were doing everything asss backwards.

Pulling the dress from it's hook, he carefully walked out of the closet, hanging the dress up on the pole of their four poster bed. He eyed it carefully, the dress was truly fit for a queen and he knew that's why Bri had fallen for it, regardless of the fact that it fit her like a glove without any alterations. "Brianna!" He shouted, his blue hues never leaving the dress. "Brianna! Babe, come here!"

"Where's the fire!?" Bri ran into the room and halted at the sight of her wedding dress. "Why is that hanging there Jax?"

"I want it to stay here." He nodded his head slowly. "To remind you of why you want to have a big over the top wedding. We both know that the courthouse isn't how you pictured your big day. Look at the dress. That's your dress Brianna. You deserve to wear that and the family needs to see you in it. Don't throw out your wedding because of Jacey."

She nodded slowly wiping at her eyes as she moved closer to the man and her dress. "Look at it. My perfect dress. I love it."

"Then plan your wedding and rock that dress." Jax nodded slowly. "Have your little winter wonderland."

" _Little_." She scoffed as she unzipped the dress from it's bag and smiled. "Big winter wonderland babe. Embrace it right now because it's a thing that is happening." She looked at him and nodded slowly. "Help me get into it, I want to see if it still fits. I lost a bit of weight since the last time I wore it."

"It'll still fit like a glove." He smirked as he helped her step into the gown and zipped it up. "See, maybe a little in at the waist but you're good."

"Babe." She looked at Jax and grinned. "You've been hanging out with me for way too long! Going to have to send you back to Charming for a weekend and man you up a bit. I'm sure you and Opie can go and shoot shit."

"I can be a man and say that I actually pay attention when you start in on your fashion shit." He kissed her neck as he snaked his arms around her waist. "You're gorgeous Bri. I can't even imagine how gorgeous you'll be on the day."

"Look at you." She smirked at their reflection in the mirror. "We're going to have to do something about that beard, it doesn't need to go but we do need to groom it. Better yet babe. Shorter hair and a goatee, like a few years ago when I freaked out on you about cutting that gorgeous hair off!"

Jax nodded and smiled. "For you, I'll clean myself up. Only because I don't need you divorcing me after seeing the wedding pictures. I hear divorce is expensive as fuck."

"Is it?" Bri chuckled. "I wouldn't know, never divorced. Widowed but that is a good paycheck."

"It is." He unzipped the dress and shrugged. "Maybe I should've been widowed."

"Wouldn't have gotten you much money." She turned around and stuck her tongue out. "I'm gonna keep my eye on you. If I start getting sick after the wedding, then I know you're slowly poisoning me." She hung the dress back up and moved to Jax, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're too good to me, you know that right?"

"Could never get rid of you." He shook his head, pressing his lips to hers before smiled. "Love of my life and all of that good shit babe. What do you like to call it? _Fate_?" He chuckled. "I try my best with you. I'll admit that it took me a while to adjust to having you at my side but I'm glad I got my shit together."

"On a serious note, if you had to kill me how would you do it?" Bri smirked. "I personally would kill you slowly and over time. No poison or anything. It'd just be me, distancing myself."

"I'm glad you gave a lot of thought to my death." He laughed. "I would kill you with some ricin… I think that was on Breaking Bad." He shrugged as he kissed her again and smiled. "Now that we have that out in the open, we need to just focus on keeping each other alive. We can die with old age."

"Not into the type of torture I am I see." She snaked her hands under his shirt and smiled up at him. "So, you wanna practice our wedding night? Or do you wanna be responsible and check on the kids?"

"Practice." He nodded as he lifted her up and over his shoulder, smacking her ass a few times before tossing her onto the bed. "I'm sure the kids are taking care of themselves."

"Mmm, now you have to take care of me." Bri pulled her bra off and smiled up at the handsome man. "Can't take care of myself."

"I'll make sure you're taken care of, like always." He rubbed her hips slowly before starting to remove her panties, only to stop at the sound of the door opening. "Gotta start locking it. Go away! Your mom is sick!"

"Daddy." Creed sniffled as he walked towards the bed and raised his arms up. "Up!"

"He was not having your shit." Bri shook her head as she leaned over and lifted Creed up and onto the bed. "Doesn't understand the go away thing."

"It's terrible, I have a hard on." He grabbed Bri's hand and pressed it against his crotch. "What am I going to do about it?"

"Five minutes and he'll be asleep." She nodded. "I'm sure you can suffer for five more minutes."

"Maybe." He smirked. "He's lucky that he's my second born, otherwise I'd be upset over being cockblocked. So hurry and put him to sleep then meet me in the shower. You won't regret it." He kissed her before moving off of the bed. "Creed, you're lucky I love you kid."

Bri chuckled as she rested her forehead against Creed's. "Your dad is a goofy man, I love him to death. What's wrong though? Did you go poking at the twins again? They got you with their teeth that are popping up huh? I told you to leave your little brothers alone."

"Yeah." Creed nodded his head slowly before yawning. "Ouchie." He held his hand up to his mom's lips. "Kiss."

"Pitiful little thing you are." She shook her head as she kissed his fingers and smiled. "Time to go to sleep baby, you need to nap. When you wake up it'll be dinner time and we can eat and I'll cuddle you some more. Love you."

"Love you." He rubbed her cheek. "Mommy…"

"Just like your dad." Bri chuckled softly as she trailed her fingers through her son's hair slowly, listening to the sound of the shower starting. "Play in your hair and you're out in two minutes. Precious little Tellers." She laid him on the bed beside her, covering his tiny frame with the blanket. "Love you so much." She kissed his forehead before moving off of the bed, walking slowly into the bathroom. "I'm supposed to be meeting you in here right? Jax, what's wrong?"

Jax looked up from his phone and at the brunette before dropping his head back down. "It's Abel, Wendy is saying that his heart condition is worsening, needs some type of surgery."

"Well then go and try to be there for him." Bri pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back in lazy circles. "Maybe this is her reaching out and letting you be a part of his life now that you've proven that you can be a dad. Go Jax, support your first born."

"I love you." He kissed her forehead and nodded. "Maybe one day you and Wendy can talk shit out."

"Yes, like when hell freezes over." She shrugged. "I will forever be the other woman in her eyes and she'll never believe me when I tell her that I honestly didn't know you were married." She shook her head. "But if you want me to try, then I'll consider it."

Jax sighed as he wrapped his arms around the brunette and rocked them side to side. "First we fuck, then I go track down Wendy and Abel." He chuckled as he backed them into the shower. "It's been more than five minutes."

* * *

 **as always, I reintroduced old dynamics and brought a new one in. Keep an eye out for Nick. He's going to be coming around a bit. thank you for the reviews as well, they were lovely. So, I hope you loved this chapter and are ready for the next one.**


	82. Hey

**May 6, 2015**

Brianna Hohrykova stood in the bathroom of an Oakland coffee shop. Not sure why she had agreed to meet Wendy in the place that she had first met her best friend turned sister Jacey. Just standing in front of the mirror brought back so many memories. The fight, the coffee spilling, the coffee throwing, the back and forth insults, the subtle flirting once they were alone and in the bathroom together. Most importantly though, it brought back the pain of a nearly broken nose. She brought her hand to her face and chuckled before looking back down at her body. She was dressed appropriately for a sit down. She looked like she meant business and she hoped it would read the same way to Wendy.

Combing through her long brown locks, Bri couldn't help but feel a single butterfly flutter in her stomach. This sitdown was coming at the request of Jax. The man who was finally trying to step up and be a dad to all of his kids, not just the ones who lived with him. Half of her was proud of him while the other half wanted to keep him to herself and the children they had together. "No big deal." She ran her hands over the front of her white skirt and nodded slowly. "This is for Jax, get over your shit Brianna."

She smiled at her reflection before settling her purse back into the crook of her left arm. It was show time and she needed to be seated before Wendy arrived. She moved out of the bathroom, straight to a table tucked into the furthest corner of the shop. One she felt would allow for a bit of privacy but an optimal route for a quick exit if it came down to it. She picked up the menu, scanning over the items as she waited nervously.

"You're Brianna, right?" The blonde in question approached the table, her brown eyes on the brunette before looking around the shop.

"That would definitely be me." Bri nodded. "Wendy, right? Thanks for agreeing to talk with me. Love this shop so much. Good memories."

Wendy nodded her head as she sat down, hanging her purse on her chair. "I've never been here. It looks nice, though. What did you want to talk about, exactly?"

"This is actually where I first met Jacey." Bri shrugged. "Just hope to get on some type of cordial ground on the account of us having the kids by the same man. Jax obviously wants to try to be more in Abel's life and I want to support him with that. So, I figured us talking would help out with that."

Wendy nodded again as she looked at Bri briefly. "Oh, is it? That's nice, how is Jacey? I heard she and Happy got married." She sighed heavily. "I don't know about that, Brianna. I'm sorry but that's a huge request."

"Yeah, it is. She punched me in the nose right over there." The brunette nodded slowly. "She's good. She and Happy are happily married, gorgeous kids. I know it's a huge request and everything and I'll understand if you're not on board with it."

Wendy nodded slowly. "I'm sorry but I don't think it's such a good idea. Not to mention confusing for Abel as well as the kids you have together. Maybe Jax has stepped up and improved but the arrangement I have set up since we divorced is good. He doesn't have to pay anything, doesn't have any obligations. That's technically how he wanted it when he asked for a divorce."

"So, instead of having them meet now, we all want to take the risk of them coming across each other in the future when they're grown?" Bri sighed and nodded. "I guess if that'll work then that'll have to be how it happens."

The blonde shook her head slowly. "Are you here because you want Jax to be in Abel's life or because he wants to be apart of Abel's life? Or is this about you and Jax covering your asses _if_ your kids and Abel ever cross paths?" She looked around the coffee shop before her brown eyes settled on Bri. "I wanted Jax to be apart of Abel's life, he wanted out so I didn't push it."

"He wants to be apart of it." Bri nodded. "It's not a matter of if it's definitely a matter of when they cross paths. Jax is like a child, you kinda have to stay on him and push him a bit. I didn't have it easy with him at first either. Second pregnancy came too early, caught us both off guard and he literally started to retreat back to Charming."

Wendy laughed a little. "Then why isn't he the one asking to be here? It's not a matter of when, Brianna. They won't meet. Abel and I will be moving to San Diego once my application and transfers go through."

"Because our son Creed wouldn't let him leave the house. I was going to bring Jax along, it would've gotten me in a bit of trouble but it would've been worth it. Like I'm just feeding off of Jax and his vibes. He seemed broken up over you telling him about Abel's heart condition worsening." Bri nodded slowly. "Creed has one but it isn't active or whatever but he still has to see a cardiologist on occasion."

Wendy nodded her head slowly. "Alright, fine. I'll let Jax see Abel, for an hour. No kids, I'd like to request that Jacey be the chaperone. Abel knows her and if he clams up with Jax, she can fix the situation."

Brianna smiled. "Look at it this way, even for the hour, Abel can pick up a vibe from Jax and he's pretty much old enough to make a decision for himself on whether or not he wants to be around Jax again."

"If this goes bad, back off. You and Jax. Don't keep trying this, Abel doesn't need the trouble. He has enough to deal with." Wendy shook her head.

"Don't worry, if it goes bad we'll leave it alone." Bri nodded. "I promise."

Wendy nodded her head. "Wonderful. We'll be in touch about setting this up."

"Awesome." Bri smiled. "Good luck with the transfer and moving to San Diego. I hope it works out lovely for you two."

The blonde nodded as she stood up and grabbed her purse. "Thank you, that's kind of you. Do I need to contact Jacey about this when you set something up or do you still have a friendship so you can do it?"

"Oh, that bitch is my sister." Bri chuckled. "I mean, like my literal sister like my dad is her biological dad. You'll have to ask Jacey about how she lucked out and isn't actually a blood Teller after all."

Wendy furrowed her brow. "Oh. Wait, what? It's not my place to ask, but does Jax know? How did he take it?"

"Yeah, Jax knows." Bri nodded. "He took it hard. She was the last like blood relative he was close to, then it turns out they're not even blood but that's still his little sister. After all, blood doesn't make a family."

Wendy sighed, nodding her head slowly. "I imagine so, ever since I met him, they were always extremely close and she was always with him. He was all about hanging out with her, never wanted to be around the clubhouse unless she was there." She smiled. "I loved how close they were."

"They had a little bit of a falling out but I think they have gotten a little better. They're both stubborn as hell." She shrugged. "That's still his sister, though, always has and always will be."

The blonde nodded her head slowly. "Why? Is everything ok? I'm sorry, I haven't talked to Jacey in a long time. Last I heard from her, she'd just had a baby boy and he was still in the hospital."

"That was like a kid ago. She has another daughter, gorgeous thing. Has the most amazing eyes in the world." Bri smiled. "Happy and Jacey had split for a bit. Jax of course kinda didn't take a side per say, he just kept on with club stuff, so in Jacey's eyes he had blatantly picked Happy over her and that was an unforgivable sin."

Wendy sighed, rubbing her forehead as she sat down again. "Wow, three kids now? How's the boy? That's all a lot, I can see why she'd be upset though. They had a close relationship before she got involved with Happy. He hated that so much, hopefully he got over it."

"He's big, healthy, an attention stealer. He's the sweetest thing ever." Bri pulled out her phone, scrolling through her gallery before coming up to the picture she was looking for. "Most recent little family picture of theirs. They're gorgeous."

Wendy took the phone, smiling briefly at the photo she was looking at. "Holy shit, they are gorgeous. He is a big boy, handsome but creepy eyes." She laughed a little. "They're such a light blue color."

"We're literally trying to figure out how they are that color." Bri chuckled. "Feel free to keep scrolling through, I think there should be pictures of the newest baby and her gorgeous eyes. Happy and Jacey just make very gorgeous children. They need like twelve more so I can kidnap them but I think they're stopping at three."

She smiled and nodded her head. "Camryn, she's so beautiful. All that hair, it's amazing." She started to scroll through the pictures slowly, stopping at a picture of Ashtyn. "Her?" She turned the phone around to show Bri.

"Yes, that is Ashtyn." Bri nodded and smiled. "Gorgeous little thing right!?"

Wendy nodded her head as she looked at the phone again. "She is very gorgeous. Damn, her pretty eyes. I wonder if they'd just have a child for me." She laughed a little.

"You're telling me. I've been trying to get them to have a kid for me since I laid eyes on Camryn." Bri chuckled. "Even asked again after Kol and Ashtyn."

She smiled again. "I love her eyes so much, she's just gorgeous. Is this when she was first born?" She turned the phone around again. "These photos are amazing, did Jacey take them?"

"That is when she was first born." Bri nodded. "Actually those photos weren't taken by her, they were taken by my daughter Monica. She's been following after Jacey with the whole photography thing."

Wendy nodded slowly. "This one here is precious." She showed the phone to Bri again, showing her a picture of Happy and Ashtyn. "All of these are amazing. How old is your daughter?"

"You don't even wanna know how old she is." She chuckled. "She's nearing her thirteenth birthday. She's my daughter from a relationship when I was younger."

The blonde nodded again and smiled. "Bet Jacey loves having someone interested in her work as much as she is. She could never get Jax interested in all her shows when she was in school, it was all great, though."

"Loves it so much. You should stop by Jacey's studio, see even more of her work. She's been doing shows and auctions. Her work is mind blowing." Bri grinned. "Makes me jealous that I lack any artistic ability."

Wendy nodded her head and smiled as she showed Bri her phone again. "That's the cutest toothless smile ever, she is a gorgeous little baby. They have such beautiful babies."

"I'm obsessed with her. She makes Jax want a daughter every time he is around her. It's terrible how bad he gets baby fever around her." Bri shook her head. "Like the man wants a daughter, when does a man ever want a daughter?"

Wendy smiled. "I love the pictures you have of her and Jacey. How is she?" She passed Bri's phone back to her. "I saw a picture of a little blonde boy and the baby girl. I'm guessing he's yours and Jax's?"

"Jacey is good, better than ever actually. She's making us all proud." Bri smiled. "Yeah, he's ours. The only blonde we had together actually. I'll spare you that nonsense."

The blonde furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Making you all proud? What happened with her?" She sighed. "He's adorable. Hate to tell you but I actually see Jacey in him."

"She got in her little head space and kinda shut down a bit, thinking she wasn't making us proud but she's been opening up more. So we're more proud of her than usual." Bri laughed. "I know. He looks nothing like me and everything like her. So she calls him her son."

Wendy nodded her head slowly. "Oh, that's not good. I'm actually surprised, though, she always had impeccable confidence and just oozed it out." She smiled. "I hope everything's better with her."

"Yeah, everything is getting better for her." Bri smiled widely. "After all she has nothing to be insecure about. Gorgeous, gorgeous body, happy marriage, healthy kids, a great career that she just loves. She's living the American dream."

Wendy nodded her head and smiled once more. "She's always been living it, minus the marriage and kids. She's always been gorgeous and always had a great career she loved. I'm just glad she doesn't have to deal with Gemma now that she's not even Gemma's kid. Glad she quit trying to contact me and Abel too, I was ready to get a restraining order."

"Oh." Bri nodded slowly. "Yeah, Gemma is kinda like dead. Well, at least we think she is. I personally hope she is. She hasn't been around at all in like forever. Her husband either."

Wendy started to laugh. "You're crazy if you think that crazy old bat can die."

"Slightly crazy." Bri chuckled. "We can all hope for something right? She's gone so we don't go looking or asking for her. We're all better off without her. Especially Jax and Jacey, the kids too."

Wendy nodded her head. "She was a crazy bitch. I'm glad she's not around to fuck with Jacey anymore, she's too good for Gemma's shit."

"Way too good for it." Bri nodded. "I'm just happy she's not around trying to be in Jackson's ear about what he should and shouldn't do. If it had been up to her, she'd have all of the grandkids and all the moms would be six feet under."

Wendy shook her head. "Jacey probably would've shot her sooner or later. She's already hated how manipulative Gemma was to Jax."

"There's been a drastic change in Jax since Gemma's been gone. He's goofier and less stressed out about club shit. He actually has the club earning straight and I don't think that would've been possible if Gemma was around." Bri shrugged. "It makes life for Jacey easier too, doesn't have to always have Happy off on a run and we don't have to worry about lockdowns. I hate those so damn much."

Wendy nodded her head and smiled. "That's good, I'm glad." She looked down at her phone and sighed. "I'm sorry, I have to get going. My sister's watching Abel and I have to get back to pick him up for his t-ball practice." She stood up and grabbed her purse. "You have my number, we can be in touch about the meeting."

"Yeah, thank you for meeting up with me." Bri nodded and smiled. "I'll reach out in a few days if you change your mind about it all, just let me know. There won't be any hard feelings whatsoever."

The blonde shook her head. "I won't change my mind unless Jacey can't be there."

"Alright." Bri nodded slowly. "Then I'll be in touch. I can text you Jacey's number if you want that as well."

Wendy shook her head again. "Oh no, this will be fine. Thank you for wanting to reach out even though I think this is a bad idea. Maybe I should just meet with Jax first before I let them meet."

"That's fine." Bri shrugged. "Whatever makes you comfortable. If you don't want this to happen, it doesn't need to happen Wendy."

The blonde nodded slowly. "I want to meet with Jax before he meets Abel. It'll make me feel comfortable."

"I'll tell him that." Bri smiled. "For the record, if it matters, he always acknowledges as Abel being his first born child."

Wendy nodded her head. "Good, that's nice of him."

"It is." Bri stood up and shrugged. "Again thanks and really, good luck with moving to San Diego."

 **.**

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Brianna pulled her hair into a ponytail as she padded into the large master suite that she shared with her fiance Jax. She was tired and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and cuddle up to the man she loved dearly. However it wasn't going to be that simple tonight, nope. Instead of finding Jax half asleep, she found him wide awake and on her laptop that she kept beneath her pillows. "Babe, what are you even doing?"

"Nik said she sent me an email to look over." Jax looked up from the screen of the laptop before rubbing his eyes slowly. "Don't even say shit Brianna. I don't wanna hear it and I don't wanna see that cute little all knowing smirk you flash me when I'm using some piece of technology you haven't seen me use before."

"It's sexy as fuck." She chuckled softly, crawling into the bed and burrowing beneath the thin sheet. "I already know she probably set up your email account, so she had to have help you get into it. I'm proud though, you're moving forward with the times. I, however need to tell you something about my day."

"What did you do huh?" He cocked an eyebrow at her as he closed the laptop and set it on his nightstand. "Did you get arrested? Is that why you were gone so damn long?"

"No, I didn't get arrested." She scoffed as she sat up and pulled her legs beneath her. "You know how Wendy texted, telling you that Abel had gotten worse? Then when you went to kinda be there for her and Abel she kinda just straight out told you not to come around because she's not comfortable with it?"

"Yes. Did you kill her?" He stared at the brunette intensely, the corners of his mouth tightening up. "Brianna…"

Bri rolled her eyes. "No, I did not kill her." She shook her head. "I reached out and we met up at a coffee shop. Actually the same coffee shop that I met Jacey at. That's not the point though, we talked, mom to mom. She's iffy about you being around since you didn't want to be apart of his life when he was born. She is down to let you meet him but she wants to sit down and talk with you first. If she agrees to you and Abel meeting up, she wants Jacey to be the mediator. It's the only way she'll feel comfortable."

"Brianna…" He shook his head as he pulled the brunette closer to him. "I appreciate you reaching out but you didn't need to do it. I fucked up, I need to be the one to reach out and let her know that I'm serious about being part of his life."

"I know but like the boys have an older brother, all of them deserve to meet each other Jackson." She furrowed her brow and shrugged. "What if they don't meet at this age and when they're all grown up and working at the lot or whatever, in waltzes Abel and he has no idea that you're his dad and no idea he has these brothers. It'll be the most awkward conversation we'll ever have to go through with the boys. Like, hey we knew about him, his mom just didn't want any part of you four meeting and building a bond."

"I'm going to reach out to her babe." He rubbed the brunette's sides and smiled. "Don't worry about it, alright? If she tells me she doesn't want him to know me then I'll have to deal with it. I did turn my back on her and Abel, so I kinda deserved having them shut me completely out."

Bri nodded before laying back out and curling up into a tight ball, she knew she was partly to blame for the situation but she also wanted to make it better. "I'm sorry, I'll stay out of it Jax. I promise."

"Don't do that." He groaned, shaking his head as he laid down and faced the brunette. "This shit has nothing to do with you and me. It has nothing to do with our relationship. It's all on me, I could've kept in contact with Wendy and my son had I wanted to but instead I wasn't being a man and stepping up. I was being selfish."

"Yeah, I know but still, they should know each other and he should know you." She moved closer to him, draping her leg lazily over his waist. "I love you and I'll stay out of it for now but if she says no, I might just open my big mouth and say something. Yeah, you messed up but you don't deserve to continually be punished for your actions especially if you apologize."

Jax nodded slowly, rubbing the brunette's back in tight circles, letting everything sink in. He hadn't been the best dad to Abel and it took him some time to wrap his head around being a dad to Creed. He didn't even like to think about the way he had reacted when he found out Brianna was pregnant with the twins. He shook his head, pressing a kiss to the brunette's forehead. "Go to sleep. I'm going to take care of this and make shit right. Don't worry about it too much and don't go off hassling her, you'll get in trouble and we don't need that right now. I love you, take your pretty ass to sleep."

* * *

 **Thank you for all of the feedback on the last chpater. It was so amazing and I loved reading it all. It means the world to me, I think I'm a broken record at this point but this story wasn't always an organized mess. It used to just be an absolute disaster but somewhere along the way I pulled it all together and now the feedback has picked up and I can't even figure out what I did to gain so much support but it's forever appreciated and I'm going to be forever grateful for it. I have to just give lots of love to the people that have been reading this story from day one and have cringed right along with me. I also need to give love to the people who have joined the party late. Shout out to the readers who read but don't review, I see you guys lurkin' and you get some love as well.**


	83. Talks

**Okaaaaay, so we got Juice well stumbling a few steps backward with Brianna this chapter. Just bear with it because it does serve a huge purpose in a later chapter… I thought I'd warn ya. I'll see you at the end of this chapter. :)**

* * *

 **May 10, 2015**

"The birthday party was a success." Juice grinned widely at Bri and nodded his head as stuffed wrapping paper into a garbage bag. "He seemed to love all of the dinosaurs and he really loved the cake."

"He turned six, of course, he loved everything." Bri smiled as she set all her son's gifts into a large box. "I think he loved that robotic dinosaur the most, he's carrying it and Dino around now. Did you see how cute he was when Camryn gave him a birthday kiss in front of everyone? Didn't know his little tan self could blush like that. He's perfect, I love him."

"We blush, it's terrible." He shook his head. "It was all cute. I enjoyed it a whole lot. We did good with planning his party, we need to collaborate more often. If you can spare the time, energy and bare to be around me for hours at a time."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes, irritation apparent in her features. "Look, Juan. I have no issues with you and I'll always be open to working together when it comes to Javier. We're bonded together forever and it'd be best if you embrace it and stop being a little smartass before I kick your ass. Fated to be together? Remember? Friends forever."

"Do you spew that fated shit to Jax?" Juice smirked at her. "Or did you give up on it and just settle?"

"You're really going to talk like that to me?" Bri irked an eyebrow at Juice and shook her head. "Look, fate is the reason why I gave you chance after chance after fucking chance because I believed that we were meant to be together and that all of the bad shit would pass and we'd come out of it on top. Don't put the blame on me when you were the person who said fuck it and ended it all. Don't put that on me because I fought until the end to make us work when you simply threw in the towel and called it quits."

"I was in a bad place. I was also getting shit on by my _brothers_ for wanting to marry a sweetbutt. At the end of the day that was what you were to them and always will be to them. No matter if you're standing at the president's side." Juice shook his head. "You fucked Kozik and Jax, then you settled down with me, got knocked up and then when we broke up you went straight back to Jax and ended up knocked up by him twice." He shrugged. "You kinda failed because you didn't get knocked up by Kozik, or maybe he was the smart one and dodged that bullet. Then you fucking let Happy adopt your kid. You have kids with three different men in the club. You're no better than any of the croweaters and sweetbutts that run around the club. The only difference is the money.

She shook her head as she took a step back and eyed the man carefully. "So, that's what it was? Too embarrassed to be in love with a woman someone shames because of her sexuality? _Sweetbutt_. It hurt coming from Kozik but it hurts even more coming from you since we have a kid together. Jesus Juan." She wiped at her face and crossed her arms. "I even explained to you why I did what I did. I wanted to piss you off, make you jealous. I didn't think we'd ever end up in a relationship again, I really didn't. Ok, so everyone thinks I'm a slut and has no respect for me, that doesn't even fucking matter to me. Jackson's opinion of me matters, your opinion of me matters, Happy's opinion of me matters. Didn't plan the Happy thing, him and Monica just simply happened and none of us know how or why. I didn't even think I could get pregnant so Jax and I weren't the most responsible and that's why we had two slip ups. Same with you."

"You're supposedly in love with the man that made my life hell. You know it." Juice shook his head. "You're a terrible person Brianna and terrible role model."

"I don't know why you're being a fucking asshole, I really don't know why you're being this way to me but I hope whatever you're going through and the demons that you're battling ease up soon." Bri took a step forward and shrugged. "You went from friendly to a huge dick in the matter of two fucking minutes." She shook her head. "You're not allowed to see Javier anymore, expect papers in the mail, bring your little attorney if you want to but you disrespect me and you lose the option of seeing him. He doesn't need to be raised by a man like you, he doesn't need to look up to you, he can look up to my dad."

"Oh, so you don't want him to look up to Jax or Happy?" Juice chuckled. "Surprising."

"I don't want _my_ son in that godforsaken club, I've made that known since I found out I was having a little boy. I want him to pick his own career and do his own thing. I want him to look up to my dad because he's the best man I know. He's loyal, hardworking and respectful even to the people he hates the most. You hate me, admit it. You want to blame me for your life going to shit? Then fucking do it, I don't care anymore."

"For the record, I only turned into a dick right now because I started to realize shit, Brianna." He rolled his eyes. "You gave up on us and on me that last time. You didn't even try to fight for it at all."

"Like I fucking said, I was over it. I was beaten, I was broken, I was out of my mind trying to figure out where I went wrong and why you wanted to leave me and our son!" Bri trailed her fingers through her hair and looked away. "I didn't want to fucking fight because I didn't want to do the same process over again. I deserved better than that! Then to let you continue to use me when it was the most convenient for you! I never did a damn thing to you. I'm not doing this shit with you, the pointless back and forth. I'll finish cleaning up, you can go."

"You should definitely go." Aleksandr shook his head as he walked out of the house. "I can hear you both in the kitchen. You're an idiot, disrespect my daughter again and see if we don't get that Roosevelt cop knocking back at your door, secondly, it's your fault that she didn't fight, what is the purpose of fighting for a man that doesn't better her and only seems to be around to bring her down? If you were making her a better person, then yes she would have fought for you and you two would possibly be together right now."

"So, unless you want to lose that head of yours, I'd suggest that you quit while you're still ahead." Anthony looked at Juice and smirked. "Disgrace to men everywhere, blaming her for _your_ shit. You were going through it, we all knew you were. We all played a hand and helping you get above that and you still managed to fuck it all up. We can all only help you out so much. Disrespect my little sister again and find out why I'm the go-to guy when it comes to pulling information from people."

"We're all doing this?" Frey looked at Juice. "Long time no see my friend but I'll be escorting you out of here. I came for cake, not for a problem so leave peacefully. I'll walk out with you since I need to go back next door." He nodded his head slowly as he grabbed the back of Juice's neck. "You said some not nice things about Brianna, you're lucky I'm in a good mood otherwise I'd slit your neck and tell them you made it home safely. Don't blame her for your shit, man up, own it and move forward. She moved on and you need to as well. So what? She's a little slut sometimes but when it comes to being in a relationship, she's a one dick type of lady."

"One day, I'm going to kill him." Bri mumbled as she rested her face again her dad's arm. "He's so mean out of nowhere. I think he's the one with bipolar and not Monica. It's like we were so good and this shit just pops up. I'm really serious about not letting him anywhere near Javier. You can be Javi's role model dad."

 **.**

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"Juice was a dick to me after the party but I don't want you to punish him or anything. I'm just letting you know." Bri muttered as she looked at Jax and sighed. "He basically said he ended shit because all of his brothers think I'm a sweetbutt and he was embarrassed to be in love with me then he went on to shit on me for not wanting to fight for a relationship with him."

Jax looked at the brunette and shook his head, feeling his anger boil up inside of him. "He's a fucking idiot. Ignore him and if he tries this shit again, I will pop him."

"I'm ignoring him, it was just horrible that the father of my child thinks that I'm some slut." She shrugged as she wrapped the blanket around her body. "Like whatever but still, you know?"

"I know." He nodded his head slowly as he pulled her closer to him and smiled. "We'll focus on us, he's a dick. Pissed off at the world because of his fuck ups."

"Mom!" Javier walked into the bedroom and sniffled. "Dino had an accident! Creed and I were playing with him and his tail got ripped off!"

"Baby." Bri bounced off the bed and moved to her six-year-old, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she tried to console him. "You're in luck, I'm the best surgeon in this house. Come on, let's go to my office and fix his tail. He'll be as good as new, I promise. You'll have to baby him a few days but he'll make it."

"You promise?" He wiped at his face as he followed his mom down the stairs and into her office. "Dino, it's going to be okay, mom is the best surgeon ever. She's going to put your tail on and make you pretty again."

"I am." Bri washed her hands before pulling on a pair of gloves and grabbing her bag. "Just hold his hand, continue to talk him through it, babe. He needs you right now. He won't be in any pain, see this shot? It's going to make sure he can't feel any pain."

"Dino, you hear that? No pain at all." Javier held the dinosaur's tiny hand and nodded, closing his eyes as he watched his mom give him a shot. "He hates shots, just like I do."

"I don't think anyone likes shots." She shook her head as she began to delicately reattach the dinosaur's tail. "He's doing so well, he's a trooper. Not even crying or anything." She smiled at her son. "He's going to need bedrest after this, lots of it, he'll also have to take it easy on the monkey bars too."

"Ok, ok." He nodded his head eagerly as he kissed the dinosaur's head. "No monkey bars or slides Dino, I mean it. I do. No more wrestling with me and Creed either. We were wrestling, this is a wrestling injury. He couldn't handle it."

Bri looked at her son and chuckled. "He's a little too small to be in the ring with an Ortiz and Teller." She shook her head as she finished reattaching his tail. "All attached, he'll still be able to use it once it's healed. I'm going to wrap it with an ace bandage, change it twice a day. I'll give you extras. It was an easy surgery, he should be waking up soon."

"Thank you!" Javier rounded the desk and hugged his mom tightly. "Thank you, I love you and thank you so much for fixing him and saving his life! I didn't think he'd have a tail anymore, I thought we'd have to just save him and get rid of the tail."

"Never." She shrugged. "I'm the best, I always make sure my patients leave with all of the necessary parts and he needs that tail for balance otherwise he'd just fall right over. So, take him, lay down and make sure he gets a nap. If he starts to feel funny just let me know and I'll give him a medicine to help with that."

 **May 15, 2015**

Jax Teller looked around his surroundings and shook his head. He was out of place here. Standing out like a sore thumb with his kutte and Harley as he awaited the arrival of his ex wife Wendy. He knew they needed to talk and now that the day had officially come, he was nervous to say the least. He had a lot he wanted to say but knew that more than likely Wendy would just see him for who he was and not the man that he had grown to be. "Come on."

He shifted against his bike before sliding off of it and moving towards the picnic table under the shadiest tree. Taking a seat before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and slipping one between his lips before fishing through his pockets to find a lighter. His blue hues scanning the space before turning his attention back on the tabletop, his finger tracing over the Jax and Bri that had been carved into it many moons ago. "Bri, you really do follow me everywhere." He chuckled and shook his head, looking up just in time to see Wendy approaching.

"Jax," Wendy stated plainly as she approached the table, stuffing her phone in her back pocket. "Hi, thanks for meeting with me."

"Wendy." He nodded as he stubbed out the cigarette. "Yeah, no problem. Not every day I get to meet up with my ex-wife and talk about our kid. Had to take advantage of it."

She waved the smoke away as she sat down. "I didn't want you to meet my son until after I talked with you. Sending your wife to talk to me, that was new. She's nice though, I see why you sent her but I'm not agreeing to this until I _know_ that you want to be apart of his life. I don't care how you feel towards him knowing your other kids, that's far from relevant and that's an ignorant excuse to request to be apart of Abel's life."

"I didn't send Brianna, I didn't even know anything until she came home and told me what happened. She's nice but I don't need to send Brianna to handle my business." He shook his head. "Ok but I never voiced my opinion on that, that is all Brianna's opinion and hers alone. She wants the kids to know each other but that's on her like I said. I was going to reach out to you on my own because I'm genuinely interested in getting to know Abel. He doesn't have to meet Creed, Mason or Noah. He doesn't have to have a relationship with them if you don't want him to."

Wendy shook her head. "Whichever, whatever. Why are you wanting to reach out now? You're a little late. I didn't reach out to you about his heart condition so you could randomly gain a conscience and want to know him. I figured you'd like to know that your _family flaw_ is going strong, he's doing fine, though. Since he's out of the hospital."

"I've been wanting to reach out, it just hit me harder when I got that text. Anything could happen and if it had been serious and he didn't pull through, I'd be upset that I didn't get to know him. I know this is my fault because I checked out during the pregnancy and I definitely deserved for him to be kept away from me but I grew up a lot and I want to at least meet him once." Jax nodded his head slowly. "Creed has the family flaw, it's not active or whatever though but these specialists check up on him."

Wendy nodded her head. "Sure. Like I told your wife, I want Jacey present. She's familiar with Abel and he's good with her. He likes her." She pushed her long curly hair over her shoulder. "I'm glad he has specialists. I just have his regular pediatrics and whoever he has on his team. I don't have the insurance coverage for specialists or anything but I hope everything continues to look bright for your son."

Jax smiled and nodded. "She's not my wife yet, we haven't walked down the aisle, we're still planning that whole thing out. It'll be in December though." He shrugged. "If you want, I can get you the number to the specialists, cover the bill for it too. He needs the best doctors and specialists on his side."

"Oh, excuse me. I'm sorry for assuming. Good for you." Wendy nodded her head. "No, that's ok. His doctor is feeling optimistic that everything will look up."

"Oh, you'll know when she's my wife. It'll be a constant wave of the hand to show off the ring and she'll rattle off husband and wife like crazy. She's a bit dramatic but I love her." He shook his head. "Take the number, I'm insisting on it. You can call for a consultation and if you don't want to use the doctor and the specialists than never talk to them again."

Wendy shook her head. "I don't naturally see her just around, I don't know her so I doubt I'll catch her waving her hand around. That's ok, Jax. It's good enough that you're wanting to meet him because you don't want your guilt to eat you alive if I lose him." She shrugged. "It's ok. Don't overwhelm anyone with the amount of emotion you're showing in his honor anyway."

"Alright." He nodded slowly. "It's not about guilt Wendy. He's my son, he's my blood. I was a shit dad to him and never bothered being around but I'm trying now and I think that's what counts the most. That I wanna put in the effort here."

She chuckled. "You weren't a shit dad to him, Jax. You were and are nothing to him. Don't give yourself so much credit. He doesn't know a single thing about you. You made your wants clear when it came to me and my son. He's biologically your son, yes but that's as far as I'm taking it until I've been proven that you deserve to be apart of his life."

"I think that shit is mostly on you." He shook his head. "He has Teller blood but he's not a Teller in name." He shrugged. "I chose to be nothing because I was far from ready when you were pregnant, I'll admit it. I chose to be selfish and focus on my needs and wants instead of stepping up to be there for Abel."

Wendy shrugged. "What's on me? Him not knowing about you? What in the hell would I tell him? You're a terrible idea of a father. You're far too selfish and only give a damn about that beloved club. I should have them he could easily just tell me he doesn't want to meet you but he doesn't have a clue about you because I decided to save your name, my energy and his confusion. Like I just stayed, he's biologically yours but that's as far as it goes. He's not your son, don't refer to him as such. You don't know a damn thing about Abel or about being a father to him."

"You have no idea about who I am these days. The club is low on my priority list. I grew up, figured that the club isn't as important as it once was. My family is way more important to me, my boys and Bri. I love them way more than the club. Shit, I've busted my ass to get the club to a point where I'd feel comfortable enough for my boys to patch in if they want to do so. I sure as hell hope they don't though even though I know Creed is set on being president." Jax shrugged his shoulders. "So, I'm not the most terrible father in the world. I've grown up, I got my shit together and I'm just reaching out because I want to meet Abel, if you don't want me to then it's fine. I can say that I tried to make it happen."

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Good for you, do you want a fucking medal? You're only here so you won't feel guilty when he's gone, Jax. Jesus… Talk to Jacey about a good time for her, you two can get in touch with me about you meeting my son." She shook her head. "Funny, she ended up not even being your sister yet she stayed in touch all these years and they even have a fine little relationship. Pitiful how it took you five- almost six years just to reach out to Abel."

"She's my fucking sister." He growled. "Blood doesn't make you family." He stood up and shrugged. "Pitiful or not, it's better late than never Wendy. Not all of us get our shit together at the same pace. I got an almost two year old son, a pair of twin boys that are inching up on their first birthday. I got two almost step kids. It took me forever to work on myself. Things picked up when Gemma left and I didn't have her in my ear. So, for the last almost two years that's when I've done the most growing and reflecting on past mistakes."

Wendy nodded her head. "From what I heard, she can't stand your ass these days so are you really sure you two are a family anymore? That's what is pitiful, the one person who loved you more than anything got sick of your bullshit and walked off." She shook her head. "Congratulations, Jax. I'm really happy that you got your shit together, it's great but I'm still going to be very cautious around you when it comes to my son."

"She can be done with me and my bullshit but I'll always see her as my little sister. Her walking out on me, is hurting Brianna more than it's hurting me. She put a huge strain on her relationship with Brianna." Jax shook his head. "I apologized to Jacey for making it seem like I took Happy's side when he left her at the altar but I took no side, I was busy keeping my club from being butchered to hell. I was busy making sure no one died and that we all could return home to our families. I didn't drop everything and run off to Malibu to baby her. It was fucked up, I apologized but there was nothing I could do to change any of it." He shook his head again and shrugged. "Be cautious all you want Wendy."

The blonde shook her head. "And there's your problem. She's not your family anymore, regardless of some truth." She rubbed her head as she stood up, grabbing her keys. "This was a damn mistake… Why I thought that we could get along enough to discuss Abel and how we would go about this shit was a huge mistake. Have a good day, Jax." She turned, walking towards the small parking lot.

* * *

 **Well, that was a long chapter. I loved it though, a whole lot of stuff happened but my favorite was hands down Javier and his Dino because the kid is cute and loves that damn dino to death. Other than that, you had Jax and Wendy, Jax trying to make a point to her and her not believing him because well, he's Jax and he's a little bit on the selfish side but his heart is in the right place he just needs to get better with his words.**


	84. Best Friends

**May 29, 2015**

Jax couldn't wrap his mind around what he had been told by his ex-wife Wendy, his sister Jacey had continued to be in touch with her, even after he had broken it all off. He shook his head, moving closer to his sister's home. His movements lazy and relaxed as he padded up the paved walkway before he stopped at the front door, pressing the doorbell a few times before pausing briefly and hitting the button a few more times.

"Katarzyna!" Jacey growled as she pulled the door open before she smiled. "Nevermind, hi. What's up?"

"I mean, Brianna was right with that." Jax smiled. "Wanna talk to you. I talked to Wendy."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "You woke up my sleeping baby, I should kill you." She smiled and nodded her head. "Well come in, we can talk while I calm down Ashtyn. What's up? What does you having to talk to Wendy have to do with me?"

"It's terrible, your doorbell is loud." He shook his head and shrugged. "She told me you and her have kept in touch, that you have a relationship with Abel."

The blonde laughed a little, leading Jax into the living room. "I what? I stayed in touch until we moved to Tacoma. I don't have a real relationship with Abel, we are familiar with each other. I see them from time to time." She shrugged as she picked up her crying daughter and cradled her to her chest. "So? What's your point?"

"Why?" He shook his head again. "Why would you keep in contact with her?"

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Why not… She didn't divorce me. We were friends before she started fucking her Jax."

"But we're family." He looked at her. "Brother and sister."

The blonde shook her head. "Ok since you're mad about that then me being mad at you for being oh so close with Hap when we split up is back in effect." She smiled at him. "That's so the same thing…"

"That wasn't even the situation. I have one hitman at my table and it happens to be Happy. I needed him and you just assumed that I turned my back on you when I was trying my hardest to keep the club afloat." Jax shook his head before shrugging. "Plus you and Happy split up a few times. I stayed neutral. I was Switzerland. Bri was team Jacey, hell everyone was team Jacey and no one was on his side."

Jacey shook her head again. "You're lucky things have improved on that front, I'll bite my fucking tongue. That club is everything to you, you're just now realizing Bri and the kids are important. What'd she say to you? Huh? What's got the blood boiling, Jackie?" She continued to sway back and forth, her blue eyes on her brother.

"I grew up, I've matured, the only person that seems to see any change is Brianna." Jax shook his head as he looked at his sister. "Wendy says I can visit with Abel, as long as you're around. Then I think she took it back because she doesn't want him to know me or his half brothers. Rather just move off to San Diego and call it a day. She wouldn't even take my offer for him to see the same heart specialists that Creed and the twins see."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me I have to break this down and justify her anger? You have to understand her side…" She nodded. "That's not what has your hands shaking so what's the problem? The real problem? What'd she say to piss you off?" She smirked and shook her head. "You're no mystery, no matter how much space I drive between us."

"I get the anger, I do. I understand where she's coming from." He nodded his head slowly. "Oh no, according to her we're not even family since I fucked up and you don't like me anymore. I don't even remember what she even said exactly. You're the only one that I had and I fucked it up and so we're not family anymore. I have shaking hands because of something Brianna related. It's not important."

Jacey shrugged. "I'm not all you had, or have. You have plenty of people in your life, you don't need me." She flashed him a smile. "Just find out if I'm needed to play babysitter, Jax. Stop getting bent out of shape over her pissing you off. We're family because you're marrying Bri, so just don't worry."

"Okay, so you don't want to be my sister." He nodded his head and shrugged. "Whatever you want Jacey. I will let you know if you're needed or not. Alright, family because I'm marrying Brianna, who's not even your real sister. You're literally the only child."

Jacey laughed a little. "It's just when I was ten and you wouldn't let me go with you and Opie everywhere, I swore I didn't like you anymore." She nodded slowly. "Thank you for pointing out that in all reality, Brianna is really just a person that befriended me. I don't have brothers or sisters, thank you very much. Do you need me to really break it down for you? Your real brother died, your other brother has taken to hiding from you because you threatened his life when he tried to tell you who he really was. You love to flash these little threats around but I'd yet to see _you_ actually do any work. Stop hiding behind everyone else, Jax. Handle your fucking business yourself." She started to glare at the man. "You were always my brother, through everything. Including up until now, through you and Opie kicking everyone's asses when they'd fuck with me, through you kicking my ass in Marcus' bar and through you running for the goddamn hills when I needed _you_ most. Needed you when I moved to Tacoma, needed you when my son almost died because your goddamn mother put me in early fucking labor, needed you when the love of my life walked away from on our wedding day. You have always been my big brother, my fucking protector, my best friend. No matter what time of day it is, anyone asks and I deliver the answer people expect."

"I have one sister and had one brother. I never needed anyone else. What was I supposed to do, welcome him with open arms and accept that change? It was hard enough for me when you came to Brianna and announced that you were Aleksandr's daughter and not JT and Gemma's." Jax shook his head slowly. "The final and most important blood relative I had turned out not to be my actual sister, then I started to thinking about blood not making people family and realized we don't even have a real relationship anymore and I'll take ownership of that fact, I will. I'm shit, I'm doing what I was raised to do. I am running the club, turned it around and now that it's squared away, I've become more of a family man. I have Brianna who won't even marry me in a real wedding because you don't genuinely support it. I'm trying my best here Jacey, I really am trying to turn myself around and make amends with all of the shit I've done."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "You didn't have to fucking threaten his life! He's your fucking brother, regardless of the shit you battled." She sighed heavily. "You're right, we don't have a relationship anymore so why I even matter is stupid. I have given Bri my support for this wedding, what more do you both want?" She looked down at her daughter, kissing her head. "What do you need me to do for you, Jackson? How can I help you succeed?"

"I'm a Teller, it's kinda programmed into me. Feel threatened, threaten the threat with violence." He shrugged. "You're right, he's my brother and maybe I should reach out, coax him out of hiding, see where that leads me since I'm on a path of redemption. You're my sister, you're always going to matter no matter if you want to deal with me or not. Your support is bullshit, or at least it seems to her to be bullshit. You should've been there to support her the day she announced the news, even if you hated my guts and thought she was making the biggest mistake of her life by getting involved with me. I don't need you to do anything, maybe Wendy is right with keeping Abel out of my life and my shit."

Jacey nodded her head. "Oh fuck off, you're a child Jax. Open your eyes, babe, me and Bri's relationship is a two way street. She has to be willing to share some shit with me. The way I see it is that you get bored with the shit you got and want to see if I'll feed into your bullshit. One second you wanna play big brother and show your face around my children, next thing I know you're pouting because you're not the king of the world, you didn't set the stars in the sky in my eyes anymore. Does it kill you knowing that we are nothing now? Does it hurt your feelings to know that I can't handle being in the same room as you for longer than an hour because you're such a condescending asshole to me sometimes?! Because if you want to be honest, Jackson, it's utterly heartbreaking that we have no form of relationship anymore. I mean come on, you were my favorite fucking person once upon a time…"

"You decided that I was dead to you because I didn't take your side in the matter of Happy walking out on you. I told you not to get involved with him, he knew the rules to. He was not to go anywhere near you and that just wasn't something either of you could follow. Forbidden relationships are just so fucking fun huh?" He rolled his eyes. "What good would I have been at your side Jacey? A few hugs and feed you some lies about it all being for the best and shit would work out? That wouldn't have been me at all. So, I opted to throw myself further into the club, I even thought about forcing Happy's hand and sending him off to a different charter but Brianna said that was being too childish. I'm sorry that I wasn't there, I've told you that before. I tried to make things right and all of this has just been complete and total bullshit because I've realized that no matter how many times I apologize for what I did that I'll never be able to make it all right."

The blonde slowly stood up, moving to Ashtyn's swing and easing her into it. "I'm only going to tell you this once so you better listen good. I forgave you for not being at my side. You and I met at the cabin a year ago, we talked, you apologized and I forgave you. I throw it in your face as a reminder not to repeat your actions. Now, get out. Do not ever address me again either, you want a friend or a sister? Go check with the forming goddamn club of people who have something against my marriage. You want to fix whatever we can from this, good for you… I'll be happy to attempt a civil little relationship with you." She stood upright, staring at her brother.

Jax laughed and shook his head. "There's not a club, last time I checked everyone was good with your marriage. I'll admit I had an issue with it at first but I got over it, you're happy and that's all that fucking mattered at the end of the day." He shrugged his shoulders. "Your dad had an issue with it because it was for good reason, he didn't think it was a smart move after what happened the first time around. Can you blame either of us for being weary and worried? I don't know where this club is that you speak of but I'm not against your marriage Jacey."

She rolled her eyes. "You don't give a single fuck about my happiness, try it again to someone who is stupid and doesn't know you like the back of their hand." She shook her head. "Let's see how much I really matter to you, Jax. Since you love to say I'm your sister and you love me. Sit down, get comfortable. We haven't any games in a long time, so indulge me here."

"You don't know me as well as you used to Jacey." Jax sat down on the sofa and smirked. "I did do a lot of growing and getting better."

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"What are you doing here?" The front door opened, revealing Wendy to the pair of siblings. "Why are you here?"

"You neglected to tell me that Abel is worse off than he actually is and does need the help of the specialists that are looking after my boys." Jax smiled at Wendy. "I'm here, offering you this help and it'd be selfish of you not to take it if it could be his saving grace."

Jacey shook her head. "Oh, you're dumb. I never said anything after I told you that. She's suing the doctor because he was wrong. However, he will need a transplant sooner or later. Let's not get out of hand." She smiled. "Hi Wendy. Long time, Abel here?"

"There's tests being run over again." Wendy shook her head. "He's here, inside doing his spelling work." She sighed heavily. "The lawsuit hasn't kicked in yet."

"Spelling homework?" Jax shook his head. "Isn't he too young for homework? You should put him in a different school. My stepdaughter, Monica was telling me about waldorf schools and scientists that have proven that homework does nothing for a child." He shrugged his shoulders. "If you need money, let me know Wendy. I owe you that at least."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, you're annoying and pushy. Shut up. He's five, it's spelling words like cat, dog, the, taco. It's easy shit. Cami does it." She shook her head. "You're pushing it and I'm not even your baby mama."

"Thank you. Please stop offering me shit. I have plenty of money, Abel's in a great school." Wendy shook her head. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"I'm not being pushy, I'm just offering help, take it or leave. She doesn't want it so I'm stopping with the suggestions." Jax shrugged again. "That's all."

Jacey shook her head again. "Pushy. You're a pushy person. Go before I beat you with a car seat."

"He's in the living room, right there." Wendy nodded her head as she shut the front door. "We'll discuss the specialists later, Jax."

"Brianna doesn't think I'm pushy." Jax looked at his sister before moving into the living room and stopping. "Jacey, I'm nervous."

Jacey nodded her head. "Don't bring her up in this situation again, Jax. This has absolutely nothing to with her, her opinions of you, anything. Stop it." She set the car seat down briefly, hugging the man. "Relax, he's just a boy. That likes everything any other boys like, relax." She moved away from Jax, picked up the car seat and smiled as she sat down on the sofa. "Hi Abel, what are you working on?"

"Hi." Abel smiled as he turned his blue eyes onto Jacey. "I'm coloring a picture of a motorcycle, it's black and silver. See?" He held up the picture and smiled.

"Nice bike." Jax finally spoke up and smiled. "I'm Jax."

Abel looked at Jax before he started smiling. "My name is Abel, I like motorcycles. They're cool."

"I ride a motorcycle, it's a Harley, a Dyna to be exact." Jax smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Abel."

Abel nodded. "Really? I want one! They're cool." He repeated himself. "Do you know my friend Jacey? This is her, don't be rude Jacey."

The blonde laughed a little. "That's my brother, kid. I know, he's ugly and we look nothing alike but I'm stuck with him for life." She nodded.

"I think I have my pretty days." Jax chuckled. "But yes, I really do have a bike. A few actually. I'm a collector. What else do you like besides bikes?"

Abel shrugged his shoulders. "Coloring. I like cars too, I want to go to car shows. They'd be fun." He smiled. "I like Jacey, she's nice and pretty and fun. What do you like, Jax?"

"I've been to a few car shows, they were fun. Lots of cool cars and good food." Jax nodded his head and smiled. "I like bikes, trucks, writing and hanging out with my friends and family."

Jacey stood up, moving to Jax and hugging him briefly. "I'm gonna go find your mom, Abel. I'll be back ok?" She smiled at Jax. "You're fine, just remain calm."

"I wanna go to a car show. Will you take me next time you go?" Abel smiled at Jax. "You don't have to stand up, you can color with me! I have lots of pictures of motorcycles and dinosaurs and cars too."

"I'll have to ask your mom but yeah." He nodded as he sat down next to Abel and picked up a coloring book. "I think I want to color a car. I think I want to make it blue. Do you go to school?"

Abel nodded his head and smiled. "I do! I like school, it's fun, I have lots of friends. I like recess too." He reached out, touching Jax's SONS rings. "Those are cool! I like them a lot!"

"Recess was my favorite part of school.I loved playing tag with my friends." Jax looked at his hand and wiggled his fingers. "Thank you. I got them to show off that I'm a part of a cool motorcycle club. You wanna try them on?"

Abel nodded his head eagerly. "They're awesome!" He held his small hand out. "You're in a cool club? Can I join?!"

"Here you go." He dropped his rings into Abel's hand and chuckled. "I am but you gotta be at least eighteen to join it. So in a couple of years, you can join if you want to and your mom agrees with it. Always gotta make mom happy."

Abel slid the rings on his fingers and smiled. "I like them a lot! I want some just like this, what's S. O. N. S. mean? It spells Sons. Do you have a son?"

"I have a couple of sons." Jax nodded his head slowly. "But my club is called the Sons of Anarchy, that's why my rings spell out Sons."

The little boy smiled and nodded his head slowly. "I don't have any. I have my mama though and her boyfriend, he's cool!"

"Maybe in the future, you'll get some brothers and sisters." Jax smiled. "They're fun to have around."

Abel nodded his head and smiled. "Do you like having a sister? I don't want any sisters, I want brothers!"

"Yeah, I like having her, she keeps me entertained. I have a whole lot of brothers, from joining the club. The guys in it are like my big brothers and little brothers." He shrugged. "Sometimes sisters can be icky though. I have another younger sister, she's a pain in the neck, always trying to boss me around."

Abel shrugged his shoulders. "She's fun and nice and she gives me lots of snacks and candy." He smiled. "What's in that?" He pointed at the car seat on the floor by the coffee table. "Is that yours?"

"That is not mine." Jax shook his head. "That is Jacey's daughter Ashtyn. She's sleeping but very cute. Isn't she?"

The little boy nodded his head slowly. "I guess so, how come she's asleep? It's the middle of the day." He moved closer to Jax before he crawled in the man's lap, staring down at Ashtyn. "She's tan."

"Babies are lazy they just love to eat, sleep and poop." Jax chuckled. "She gets the tan from her dad. He's very tan. Her eyes are gorgeous, so if she ever wakes up you'll like them. They're a pretty bluish green color. I think Jacey calls them teal."

Abel nodded as he slowly got comfortable in Jax's lap. "What will happen if we wake her up? I don't know what teal is… But ok." He smiled as he looked at Jax.

"She'll cry a little bit." He nodded as he poked at Ashtyn's thighs. "Then Jacey will come and quiet her down. I think Jacey made up the whole teal color, to be honest. She has light pretty blue eyes."

Abel nodded slowly. "Let's pick her up… He looks tiny like a mouse!" He grinned. "Why can't you quiet her down?"

"I can't quiet her down because I kinda suck at it." Jax lifted Ashtyn out of her seat and smiled. "She's super tiny, she likes to curl into a ball. It's comfortable or something. I still don't really understand babies."

The little boy touched Ashtyn's nose and smiled. "Why is she so little? I like her, she's cute."

"She surprised Jacey and came early, wasn't finished getting fat yet." He shrugged. "I like that she's tiny, though, makes it easier for me to carry around."

Abel nodded again. "Why is she making that face? Is she mad?" He sighed. "I hope we didn't make her mad."

"She's waking up." Jax shook his head. "Everyone is a bit grumpy when they wake up."

He nodded once more as he started rubbing Ashtyn's tiny hand. "What's her name? Tiny? It's ok, Tiny."

"Her name is Ashtyn." He chuckled. "You can call her Tiny, though."

Abel smiled as he looked up as Jax again. "I don't like that, I wanna call her Tiny. Will she mind?"

"What are you two doing?" Jacey inquired as she walked back into the living room. "Oh, you found Ashtyn, huh?"

"Tiny." Jax looked at his sister and smiled. "That's her new name. Abel named her. I think she likes it and him."

Jacey smiled and nodded her head. "Looks like it, she's not crying. Are you guys ok?"

"We're great! We stopped coloring, though… I like Tiny, she's cute." Abel nodded eagerly as he flashed Jacey a familiar smirk.

"I was trying to explain to him what teal is but I've decided you've made that color up," Jax smirked at his sister. "We're just hanging out now, may color a little more in a bit, though. I wanna take my picture home and hang it on the fridge."

Jacey moved toward the trio and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "Wake up my angel." She whispered as she kissed Ashtyn's nose. "Teal is real and you'll see so."

"She looks madder!" Abel whispered. "Don't make her mad, Jacey."

"She's getting mad because it's nap time and Jacey is waking her up." Jax shook his head. "Is teal that weird blue color that is like turquoise?"

Jacey nodded her head slowly as she kissed Ashtyn's nose again. "There she goes. Just rub her fist and she'll calm down. Give her a kiss on her cheek." The blonde smiled. "Teal is light green and light blue mixed. Her pretty eyes."

"She's too perfect." Jax smiled. "I might steal her and keep her for myself."

Abel shook his head. "No. I want her, she's cute and tiny and I can take her to school for show and tell." He smiled widely as he made himself more comfortable on Jax's lap. "You're my new best friend, Jax."

"And you're my new best friend." Jax nodded his head slowly and grinned. "You gotta ask Jacey though, I think she's super attached to Tiny here."

Jacey shook her head. "You can't keep her, baby, but you can visit her anytime you want." She smiled at Abel. "You two have fun. Color me a picture." She winked at her brother as she left the room.

"We'll figure out how to get you your very own Tiny," Jax smirked. "You wanna color a picture for me? I'd love to have a picture from my best friend to hang on my fridge at home."

Abel nodded his head eagerly and smiled. "Yes! I will, it'll be a motorcycle ok?" He slowly moved out of Jax's lap and sat down on the floor between the coffee table and the sofa. "Can't we just keep her to ourselves? Jacey doesn't need her."

He smiled at Abel and nodded. "Awesome, I can't wait to hang the picture up." He looked at Ashtyn before back at Abel. "You're right, she doesn't need her. So, let's keep her for ourselves." He nodded slowly as he felt his smile grow wider. He was actually with his oldest son and they were getting along nicely, he couldn't help but wonder what would be next for them and how the rest of the family would enjoy getting to know Abel. "I'll color you a picture too, we can make this a tradition when we hang out. Also, remember to keep those rings safe."

* * *

 **For all of those thinking that Wendy is loving the power she has right now, it's true she does and she has a right to be a bit bitchy towards Jax because he did leave her high and dry for that moment Tara come back to town and he was just a big confused mess before he figured out what he wanted. He was being his usual selfish self but he has come a long way.**

 **I hope you guys loved the little moments between Jax and Abel. There will be more and Abel will end up meeting his brothers in the near future as well.**

 **Thank you for the support. It's been so amazing. So, I'll continue to thank you with nice and lengthy updates. :)**


	85. I'm Two!

**I have a nice long update for you all, to make up for my lack of updating this story. Started a job and got lazy with updating. Now, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things and writing more. We pretty much have the whole entire gang in this chapter, so enjoy it.**

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 **June 6, 2015**

"Brianna." Jax murmured as he wrapped his arms around the brunette's waist and kissed her neck. He had just come from a meeting with the Mayans and now all he wanted to do was relax with a beer and his woman. "I wanna talk to you."

"About what?" She turned around in his arms and smiled up at him. "What's on that mind of yours Mr. Teller?"

"It's about Wendy and Abel. Mostly Abel." He rested his hands on her hips, backing them up towards the living room before dropping to the sofa and pulling her onto his lap. "It's a dangerous thing babe."

She nodded her head slowly as she twisted herself to look at him. "What's going on baby? What is so severe huh?"

"I saw Wendy, and I got to meet Abel." He kept his blue eyes locked on her face as he waited for a reply. Hoping it would be a positive one and not a negative one. "It was nice; it's where my rings went. I know you noticed that they were gone."

"Yeah but I thought they were just gone." Bri nodded her head slowly. "Was it good? Did you enjoy yourself? Did he like you? Come on, I need some details."

"It was really nice." He nodded his head slowly and smiled at the brunette. "We talked, we bonded, we did some coloring. He colored a few pictures for me. I have them in my kutte. He told me that he's my best friend. Then he tried stealing Ashtyn from Jacey, nicknamed her Tiny."

"You didn't tell him you're his dad?" She smiled at him and nodded. "Did you get any pictures of the two of you? Does he look like your twin since Creed just failed to be your twin?"

"He does look like me." Jax nodded his head slowly as he passed his phone to Bri. "I didn't tell him I was his dad, it was my first time meeting him and I didn't want to confuse him and I want to get to know him more, then when the time is right I'll let him know."

"He's handsome." She grinned widely at the phone. "He definitely looks like you, way more than Creed does right now. I'm still hoping that Creed will end up looking more like you when he's older."

The man smiled proudly as he kissed the brunette's neck. "He's handsome. Creed, I'm sure you and Jacey figured out how to have kids together because he's like her twin and they're not even blood relatives." He shook his head. "I want to see Abel again, he might be staying over at Jacey's for a weekend. He'll be able to meet everyone. You'll love him babe."

"We're smart but not smart enough to figure out how to mix our genetics just yet." Bri laughed and shook her head. "I'm happy that you're happy. I can't wait to see him and I hope it keeps being great for you Jax, you deserve this and I'm extra happy that Jacey took you there. Look at you two, being brother and sister again. It's perfection."

"I knew you'd get a kick out of Jacey and I going at this together. I want you to meet him though, you're going to love him. You just can't blab about me being his dad or the boys being his brothers. Gotta take time and make sure it's all right." He squeezed the brunette tightly and chuckled. "I'm serious babe because when you're nervous, you just start going on and on and talking about shit and not thinking first."

"Ok, that may be true." She shrugged and smiled. "I'm a nervous babbler. I do have another important thing to talk to you about. It's about Creed's second birthday which is exactly a week away. I planned it, you just need to be around, no meetings, no church, no club business. Invite whoever over as long as they're kid friendly."

"Yes Miss Bossy Booty." Jax nodded his head slowly. "I will be there and I will not bring any business with me, just balloons and fun people. I can't believe he's going to be two, time is flying. It's crazy… Next time I blink he'll be sixteen and wanting a Harley of his own."

"Baby, he already wants one of his own. I catch him in the garage all of the time just sitting on your bike and making noises with his mouth. It's the most precious thing, I recorded it and when he turns sixteen, I'm playing it at his birthday party right before we gift him a bike of his own." Bri grinned. "Now come on, let's get some sexy time in before the twins wake up, you can be done in like fifteen minutes right?"

"You have like everything all planned out." He shook his head and laughed. "For you? I can be done in fifteen minutes, usually I need sixteen but I think I perform well under pressure." He smiled at her as she pulled him to her feet. "Better start undressing now, it takes you at least five minutes to get that shit off you."

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"I hear you have a birthday coming up." Aleksandr lifted up his grandson and smiled. "You're going to be thirteen years old!"

"Nope." Creed laughed and shook his head. "Two!"

"I've been getting on him about not using more words, he knows how to talk more he just chooses not to unless he's alone." Brianna set a plate of cookies on the coffee table and smiled. "They're your favorite dad. Red velvet with white chocolate and mocha chips. Fresh from the oven, so they're a little warm and you have your ice cold cup of milk."

"You're going to make me put on weight." He shook his head as he grabbed a cookie. "These things will be the death of me, just wait for it."

"Dad, you are like six foot five, you can put on a little weight and no one will notice but you and Sariya." She passed her son a cookie and smirked. "I don't know if his little ears are listening but Jax met Abel. Jacey took him to meet him and I guess they hit it off really well because Jax is smiling like an even bigger idiot than before. It's cute."

"And you're like two feet tall, you gotta lay off the cookies. I'm telling you this from a loving place because when you gain weight you start getting grumpy." He winked at her. "So, hand the cookie to Creed and don't you dare eat it."

"Daaad." She reluctantly passed Creed another cookie. "I gained like five pounds but that's because I've been testing out recipes for his cakes and cupcakes for his birthday party." She smiled. "It's a Harley theme, so fitting huh?"

"Harleys?" He looked down at Creed and smirked. "You're telling me that you didn't want a cool Audi themed party? I thought you were going to follow in my footsteps and be just like me Creed! Man, man, man, now I have to hope for Kol and Javier. I already know the twins are going to find their own thing."

"No Audi." Creed shook his head and smiled. "I love Harleys Pops! Vroom, vroom!"

"Audis go vroom vroom too." He chuckled. "But I guess they aren't nearly as cool as a Harley is huh?"

"Nope." Creed shook his head. "I wanna ride a bike like my dad and Uncle Happy do! I wanna be so cool just like them Pops."

"Look at that, he's talking to me." Aleksandr nodded and grinned. "Well, we'll have to see what you get for your birthday next week? Maybe you'll get that Harley of yours, let's keep eating cookies and you tell me all about Harleys."

 **June 13, 2015**

"I'm two!" Creed shouted as he held up two tiny fingers and waved them in his mom's face. "I'm two! I'm two! I'm two!" He nodded eagerly, taking his mom's face in his tiny hands and planting a wet kiss to her chin. "Hi mom!"

"Hey baby." Bri laughed as she kissed her son's forehead. "Are you sure you're two? Why are you so talkative? Huh? Huh? You excited for the day baby boy?"

"It's my birthday." He clapped his hands together and smirked. "My Hap is coming over, he's my best friend."

She nodded her head slowly. "Turned two and all of a sudden your vocabulary has quadrupled. It's perfection."

"I am two. I'm a big boy now, my dad said so." He nodded his head slowly, a grin spreading across his face. "Look mom! My dad! He has balloons! Dad!"

"I was trying to sneak them down to the backyard." Jax shrugged as he kissed Bri's cheek. "I didn't know you two were going to see it." He smiled at his son. "You're two! You're a big boy now and now you can start helping out more man. Remember what I was telling you about being the man of the house when I'm gone? Looking after your mom and the twins."

Creed reached forward, grabbing the front of his dad's shirt before smiling. "I'm the man! I'm the man! I'm the man! Not you! Bye bye daddy!"

"Kicking me out." He shook his head. "Wait until you see the backyard, your uncle Happy is already here with your Aunt Jacey. I think Ashtyn is here too."

"My Hap!" Creed wrapped his arms around his dad's neck before sliding to the floor and bolting for the door. "My Hap! Happy! Where are you Happy!?" He ran out of his room, pausing at the stairs before huffing as he dropped to his butt and scooted slowly to the bottom. "Hate stairs." He shook his head, rushing out of the open French doors. "Happy!"

Happy scooped up the toddler before he could get in Creed's line of vision. "What are you shouting for, kid?" He smirked at Creed as he settled him on his side.

"My dad said you were here." Creed nodded. "Hi. It's my birthday, I'm two." He held up two fingers and smiled. "Mom made cupcakes and a cake. The cake looks like a Dyna!"

The man chuckled as he nodded his head. "I know, I know. I could've sworn you were like thirteen, I was gonna let ya have your first ride on my Dyna. But you're still young so I don't think that is a good idea." He moved toward the table of drinks and picked up a beer before he moved to the table and chairs set up where Jacey was sitting. "Look, Blondie, I found our other kid."

"I see. Hi handsome. Happy birthday." The blonde smiled at her nephew as she continued to rock her youngest daughter.

"I still wanna go on the Dyna." Creed waved at his aunt. "That's my baby JJ not yours. Is she sleeping? She's going to miss the fun."

Jacey laughed. "No, she's awake. She's looking around, because she's nosy and wants to know where we are."

"We're in the backyard Ash." He shook his head. "Does she want a balloon?"

The blonde shook her head. "She's never been in this backyard, she's just checking it out, babe." She maneuvered the baby girl so she was sitting against Jacey's chest. "No balloons, babe."

"Oh." He nodded his head slowly. "Welcome to my backyard Ashtyn. I got a treehouse over there and a pool right there. Monica fell into the pool earlier it was funny. Now she has no phone."

Happy chuckled. "You're a talkative little shit today. Where's your mom?" He took a swig of his beer and shook his head. "Jace, let me see Ashtyn real quick."

"Nope, hush. Entertain the birthday boy."

"Right there." Creed pointed to the doors. "She got popped by her dad this morning for too much cleavage."

"He talks too much," Javier mumbled as he poked the back of Happy's neck. "Hi."

Happy looked back before scooping up the little boy. "Hey kid, what are you doing hiding? Where is the tiny blondie?"

"I'm not hiding, I'm observing." Javier nodded and smiled. "Grandpa says I gotta be good with observing a situation. I wanna be like him. Do you know he gets to work from home and he only has to go away in dire situations. That means that he only goes if someone is dying. My blondie is over there with Mo."

Happy chuckled. "Your grandpa is a good man, you're following in good footsteps kid." He nodded his head slowly. "Oh she's your blondie? I don't think so."

"Yeah, she's mine." He smiled. "My Cam Cam."

Jacey shook her head. "Oh no, Cami is mine. All mine, I've known her the longest." She smiled at her nephew. "Come here and give me love."

"Fine, fine." He nodded as he moved to his aunt and hugged her and Ashtyn. "It's Creed's birthday and he's two but I want it to be my birthday again but mom says birthdays only happen once a year."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "She doesn't know, babe. We'll have another party for you next month, I don't think there are in July birthdays in our family." She smiled as she kissed Javier's cheek. "Go get your blondie, baby, I need to take adorable pictures of you two."

"Grandma Sariya's birthday is in July, on the twentieth." Javier nodded slowly and smiled. "Get your crazy sister though. I am going to sneak cupcakes with Kol right now though. I'll get my Cam later."

Jacey started laughing. "See ya later babe." She leaned down, checking her daughter before she stood and cradled the baby to her body. "Brianna. This is great, you managed to outdo yourself again."

"Anything for my baby Creed, little talkative child of mine. It's like he woke up and decided to surprise me with his words." Bri smiled. "Look at the cake, I made that cake. Me, I did that and it is amazing. I'm glad you guys are here. Nik and her family are on the way, there may be a bit of drama between Kol and Creed because I heard that Kajsa made Creed a birthday flower crown."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Jesus help us, Kol will flip his little shit." She shrugged. "Everything's is amazing, babe. Except Creed, he's always like that with us. I don't know what you're going on about…"

"He never talks to us." Bri shook her head. "He'll give us a few words in a sentence but that's about it."

Jacey looked down at Ashtyn and shrugged. "Tell her she's just not cool enough like you are to get stories from your big cousin."

"I got an earful this morning from your dad." Bri shrugged. "Complaining about my attire so I changed. Then Creed tried copying him."

The blonde started laughing as she held her daughter out to Bri. "She was put in a cute little dress and decided to pitch a fit over it until I changed her into these little jeans and this damn black onesie." She shook her head. "You look good though, amazing. Love your hair like this."

"It's because of your daddy huh?" Bri took Ashtyn and smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you but look at you. Are those your infamous beachy waves? Please tell me they smell like the Pacific Ocean."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "She's grown quite a love for that fucker. They look like twins right, he's wearing the same thing. Kol, same attire. Camryn's in her little Nikes, some shorts and a t-shirt that is very much like something my husband would wear." She shook her head. "Smells like the ocean and coconut. But yes you know me so well, I always think you look amazing. You're too gorgeous for your own good, babe."

"Just a bunch of his little mini mes." Bri laughed and shook her head. "Mmm, coconut. Your brother bought me this outfit actually but asked if I could wear something frumpy when in public. Some asshole grabbed my ass in Walmart yesterday and Jax lost his shit. Let's just say I never seen him so violent before."

The blonde nodded slowly as she smiled, her blue eyes moving between Bri's face and her daughter's face. "Come here, hug me while I still smell amazing. You owe me tons of love anyway." She laughed a little. "My brother is a picky little shit, don't let him see her though. He's so close to getting arrested and beat for kidnapping." She smirked.

"Hugs for my blondie." Bri wrapped her arms around Jacey. "You smell so good. He keeps bugging me about a daughter of his own but I'm on the fence about it all."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "He is being selfish. I don't like that at all, do what you feel is right, babe." She kissed Bri's cheek. "He took her while I was feeding her the other day when he stopped by the house and he heard an earful. Oh, she was pissed."

"That's his Ashtyn." She chuckled. "He likes sending pictures of himself holding her."

The blonde laughed. "She tries holding his hands when she's sitting with him. He loves her and it's precious, I just need to see what Creed makes of it when he finds them together. Creed is very adamant about Ashtyn being his."

"Creed will throw a Teller Tantrum." Bri shook her head. "He's territorial as fuck. You're his JJ, Happy is his Happy. Him and Monica argued over that, don't even get me started on dad. He'll share the man but only on his terms."

Jacey shook her head. "He sounds like he's got more Hohrykova in him than you like to admit." She smirked at her sister. "When are we doing cake and gifts? I can't wait for him to see our gifts, I hope he loves them."

"Oh I know, he's me but like better." Bri smiled. "We're going to do gifts soon and then the cake. It was requested to be like that by dad. Kol and Javi have been pilfering cupcakes though."

Jacey nodded her head. "I was gonna steal one for her but I decided not to get my throat slashed for disobeying your rules." She smirked at the brunette. "Come on, take a sit and relax."

"You can take as many as you want." Bri laughed as she moved after her sister. "Look, look, Kol! It's Kajsa!"

Kol looked up from the cupcake he was licking the icing off of and started smiling. "Kajsa! Hi, my love!" He smiled and waved. "Hi, my love!"

"Hi, baby!" Kajsa grinned as she moved towards Kol and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You got frosting on your nose Kol."

He sighed heavily as he hugged her tightly before he pulled back a little when he accidentally dropped his cupcake. "Oh no! My cupcake.." He poked his lip out as he picked it up.

"I'll get you another one." Kajsa nodded her head as she grabbed his free hand and started tugging him towards the table. "It's Creed's birthday, do we get to pop his balloons?"

Kol shook his head slowly. "But I wanted that one; my Frey got it special for me. Kajsa, it's a waste now. I'm terrible."

"Your Frey can get you another special one, right?" She frowned. "I'm sorry you dropped it, baby. You need hugs and love?"

Kol nodded slowly. "Only for a minute, ok? We're gonna play hide and seek with everyone ok?" He smiled as he dropped the cupcake and wrapped his arms around the tiny toddler. "I love you, my love."

"I love you too." Kajsa wrapped her arms the best she could around him and smiled. "I wanna put those flowers in your hair. I always lose at hide and seek, I get the giggles."

He nodded his head. "We're gonna be on teams, Creed and I will help you ok?" He kissed her cheek and smiled. "No flowers yet, babe."

"Okay. I think Creed is cool. He gots hair like my Barbies." She giggled. "You got the bestest hugs." She squeezed his face in her hands and giggled. "Who's the other team? Cam, Javi and Mo?"

Kol shrugged his shoulders. "I don't like Barbie; she's weird looking. Too skinny and fat headed too." He nodded and smiled. "I love you. That's right. They're gonna lose, though."

"I got a Bratz, but she has no feet." Kajsa sighed. "I took her shoes off and no feet. I love you too. You are tall and handsome. Your hair is soft too; I love it! We'll kick their asses."

Kol gasped dramatically as they stopped in front of their parents and he covered Kajsa's mouth. "That's a bad word, K. Don't say that." He whispered to her as he started smiling at the toddler. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry, don't pop my mouth ok?" She looked at him and frowned. "I won't say it again my love."

He nodded his head slowly. "I won't pop your mouth, not ever. I'd never hurt you!" He hugged her tightly. "Hi, Nikola! Whatcha doing?"

"I am being silly and wrapping Creed's present late. Ran out of time this morning. Your little Kajsa was being a demanding little diva. Got put in timeout and popped a few times." Nik smiled at Kol. "Tell her not to be bad anymore."

Kol scoffed and shook his head. "Don't hurt my love again, Nikola! I don't like that one bit."

"I didn't pop her, her dad did." The blonde shook her head. "Take it up with him."

Kol huffed as he turned his glare onto Anthony. "ANTHONY! I'll beat you up right now, don't hurt my love!"

"It was barely a tap." Anthony shrugged. "Tell your love to watch that attitude and mouth of hers."

Kol shook his head slowly. "You watch your attitude and mouth! Don't hurt my love again, Anthony! You're a fathead anyways." He wrapped his arms around Kajsa. "It's ok, my love, you can move in with me!"

"We can sleep in your bed?" Kajsa nodded eagerly as she kissed Kol's lips and smiled. "We gotta get married when we're taller."

Jacey cleared her throat. "Hey, you. Would you like to ask us before your love moves into our house?" She inquired as she sat down beside Nik. "Hi, gorgeous."

"Hey Jacey, love the hair." Nik smiled. "They're too cute."

Jacey smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you. They are, but I'm afraid Anthony there is going to toss my baby into the pool if he keeps it up." She laughed a little.

"He won't touch the baby, him and Happy are friends, so he'd ask permission first." Nik laughed. "I can't wait until those two are older."

"Um!" Creed tried clearing his throat before shaking his head. "I wanna hug from the beautiful girl Kol."

Kol shook his head. "Then go find one, Kajsa is my love, and you can't have her, Creed!"

"But she's my friend." Creed nodded his head slowly. "My Kaj Kaj."

Kol shook his head. "Her name is Kajsa, not pretty girl. You can't talk about my girlfriend like that, Creed. She's mine. Mama, tell him."

"She's my friend and my cousin." Creed shrugged as he poked Kajsa's face. "It's my birthday; I can have a hug."

Kol shook his head slowly. "Mama! Tell him he can't touch my love. Mama."

"Bri, give me Ashtyn so I can't even be involved." Jacey shook her head slowly.

"No, no." Bri shook her head and smiled. "Little love triangle right now."

Happy shook his head as he looked at the three sisters. "Out of your three, neither of you can find a way to fix them a little? Shocker." He chuckled. "Kol, let Kajsa breath and go find Frey."

"Hi, Happy." Kajsa smiled. "What are you doing huh? I'm moving in with my Kol, and then we can hang out."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Oh, and you have just as much distracting power, oh please."

"Shush. Hey Tiny, I'm just sitting here. What are you doing? Huh? Tell me." He leaned down and scooped Kajsa up. "Huh?"

"Hugging Kol but now I'm being held by _you_." Kajsa smiled. "See, my Kol is mad because C wants a hug. It's ok though, huh Kol? You're not mad or anything anymore?"

Kol shook his head. "Nope, Creed's trying to steal my love. This is terrible; I thought we were BEST FRIENDS!"

"She's my cousin." Creed shook his head before turning his back to Kol. "My birthday party is over! Leave me alone; I'm going to hide from you Kol."

Jacey stood up and scooped up her nephew. "Oh no, baby, it's not over." She walked towards the house before walking into the family room. "You don't want your party to end baby."

"I do." He nodded his head slowly. "Kol is mean; I just wanted a hug. She always gives me a hug, and it's my birthday."

Jacey sat down and settled her nephew on her lap. "He didn't mean to be mean, baby. He just doesn't Kajsa to leave him." She kissed his forehead. "How about you continue the party? I'll take Kol home, ok? He won't be mean any longer."

"Well, he was mean." Creed crossed his arms. "Take him and drop him off on an island. The party is over though. I need alone time to process this situation JJ."

The blonde sighed heavily. "Ok, baby. I'll take him off to an island on the east coast, baby. I love you, ok?" She kissed his cheeks. "Do you want me to come back and cuddle you?"

"No, don't take him. Look you're sad." He shook his head. "I love you too JJ. I don't want any cuddles until bedtime, is that okay?"

Jacey shook her head as she smiled at the handsome toddler. "Oh babe, I'm not sad. I just don't think you should end the party. Go have fun, my sweet love. I'll cuddle you at bedtime."

"But I wanted a hug, Kajsa is my other best friend. Happy is my first, Kol is my second, you are my third, Kajsa is fourth and the twins are fifth." Creed sighed as he rested against his aunt. "Being two is hard."

She laughed a little. "You do have it tough, babe. I'm your third best friend. How come Happy is first?" She kissed his head as she started to rock back and forth. "Go get your hug from Kajsa, baby. I'll also tell Ashtyn that she's not your top five." She smirked.

"Happy is first because he gives me snacks." Creed smiled. "No, no. Ashtyn is my baby, so she's special."

Jacey nodded her head and smiled. "Ashtyn is very special. She's my love. Go see her before the party ends, babe. She needs hugs and kisses from you, she looks forward to those." She kissed his forehead.

"It's present time." Bri smiled at the pair. "I have it all set up and Happy and your dad are going to help you with it. I bribed them with leftovers. It still freaks me out that you and my son look alike. Stop it right now."

Jacey started laughing. "He's secretly mine, you know it's true. That's why he loves Hap so much, because he's basically me." She stood up. "You ready for the party or do you still wanna cancel it?" She settled Creed on her side and kissed his head.

"I'm ready for my presents." Creed nodded his head slowly. "All of them and then some cake or cupcakes if Kol and Javi didn't eat them all."

The blonde nodded her head slowly. "They didn't eat them all baby, you have tons of cupcakes left." She smiled at him as she moved out of the house and towards the gift table. "Do you want to sit by yourself or do you want me to sit with you?"

"You and my mom have to sit with me." Creed smiled as he eyed the gift table. "So many presents! Look at them all!"

Jacey laughed as she sat down beside her nephew. "Bri, where'd you hide my daughter?"

"Jax stole her." Bri took a seat and smiled. "I tried to fight him off but he kissed my neck and I surrendered. I'm a sucker for neck kisses. Especially with that goatee of his… Let me stop right now. Give the baby the gifts you got him."

Happy rolled his eyes as he set some gifts in front of Creed. "Alright, kid. Those are from your aunt Nik and uncle Ant."

Creed smiled and nodded eagerly as he tore through the wrapping paper. "Cool! Look, look! Happy! They got me cars, bikes and a nerf gun like Javi's! Thank you NeeNee and Ant!"

"You better not shoot at your mom or sister with that nerf gun." Anthony smiled at his nephew. "Everyone else is fair game though, especially NeeNee."

"Shoot me and I'll shoot back." Nik winked at the little boy. "I always carry my nerf gun when I wander over to the Fortress. Javi's got me way too many times."

Happy chuckled as he handed the little boy a few gift bags before setting a large box beside him. "This is from your blonde devil aunt over there and me…" He winked at Creed.

"Save the big one for last babe." Jacey smiled at her nephew. "Jax and I coordinated over the big gifts."

"Who's Jax?" Creed scrunched up his face. "Is that my dad? Jax! Jax! Jax! He stole your baby JJ!"

The blonde started laughing. "Yes, that's dad. It's ok, he's just holding her, babe. Open your presents, honey." She kissed his cheek. "You better hurry before your mom does it, you know she loves gifts."

"He's gonna steal her." Creed shook his head before opening up the presents and gasping. "Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Thank you JJ, Happy!"

Jacey laughed again as she shook her head. "You're welcome, handsome. But don't worry, your dad won't steal her. I won't allow that at all." She smiled at Bri. "You will just love what Hap got him in that big box."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what it is." Bri chuckled. "No, no. Tell me it's like a little Audi or something."

The blonde slowly shook her head. "Or a red Harley. Black one is somewhere around here." She smiled at the brunette. "Told you we coordinated together, however I'll kill him if he pisses my baby off one more time. Right, Jax?"

"No." Jax shook his head. "I didn't piss her off Jacey J, I only, accidentally took my finger away from her but I gave it back."

"Uncle Hap, can I open up the big box?" Creed clapped his hands. "I wanna know what's inside."

Happy nodded his head as he lowered himself to the ground. "Yeah, come here and I'll help you, we'll have to cut it open too." He smiled at his nephew.

"Oh cool, do I get to use a knife?" He moved to Happy and rested a hand on the man's head. "I can borrow my dad's. He just lets his hang from his jeans."

The man chuckled. "No, you do not. Maybe when you're half my size, kid. I'll use my knife." He waited for Anthony to set the large box in front of him and Creed before he nodded. "Alright, unwrap it. Your aunt did that mess."

"I want to get taller and use a knife." Creed smiled as he started to tear through the paper. "Aunt JJ wraps like my dad."

Jacey gasped. "I did not wrap that, your incompetent uncle Happy wrapped it. I wrap like it's a profession." She smiled at Bri. "I learned from your mom, Creed."

"Don't call my Hap a tent Jacey J, it's not nice." Creed wagged his fingers at the blonde. "His wrapping is _perfection_."

Happy looked back, flashing the blonde a smirk. "Yeah, Jace, don't call me a tent. I wrap perfectly." He nodded slowly before turning around to start cutting the box open. "Alright, kid, you ready to see what it is?"

"Yes! I'm ready!" Creed smiled. "The suspense is killing me!"

Jacey started laughing. "Wow, Brianna, way to teach him more ways to be dramatic like you. That's just precious." She flicked Happy's ear. "Open the box for him, he's dying of overexcitement."

"That wasn't me, that was Jax and his writing." Brianna laughed and shook her head. "Open the box Happy. I'm dying over here too!"

Happy cut the box open completely before passing his knife to his wife. "Alright Creed, do me a favor and look over there by Anthony." He picked the toddler up and smirked.

"Hi Anthony! Is he your brother? You got a tan like his just a little darker." Creed giggled. "I got a tan brother too. His name is Javi, he stole your Cam!"

The man started laughing. "Yeah, something like that. Step to the side, Anthony. Let the kid have it." He nodded his head as he pointed toward Anthony again. "There's the present from the big box."

"A Harley!?" He shouted. "That's for me!? Really!? Are you tricking me right now!?"

Jacey started laughing as she looked at her brother. "Give it to him, go on. Monica's recording this all." She nodded eagerly. "Give me the baby back or give her to someone that won't be mean to her like you."

"I think he loves it, what do you think?" Jax smiled. "I'm not mean to her, I think she's mad because the rings aren't there. She used to wrap her tiny fingers on them."

Happy shook his head. "It's probably his you're holding her like that, sit her up and let her look around a little. She's a little nosy." He nodded slowly as he stood up. "Come here, Creed, let's unwrap these other presents."

"I wanna ride my bike." Creed nodded his head as he pointed towards the Harley. "I gotta give my girl a ride!"

Happy shook his head. "Let's finish this first, then we'll find your girl and you'll ride out." He scooped the toddler up and set him down beside Jacey again.

"She's at home, she couldn't come today because chicken pox." He sighed as he pushed his hair out of his face. "I love all my presents though, it's so much."

Kol appeared behind Happy. "He can ride his bike with me, can't he, daddy? Right?" He tugged on Jacey's dress. "Right mama?"

"Cool! You got a bike too?" Creed smiled at Kol. "You wanna help me unwrap presents Kol?"

Kol nodded his head as he climbed into Bri's lap. "Hey B, whatcha doin'? I'm gonna help my best friend open presents." He smiled as he leaned against her chest.

"I'm watching your best friend open presents but I'm glad you're here to help him. Look at all of the presents, almost as many as you got on your birthday huh?" Bri smiled. "Are you going to spend the night later? We can invite your girl too."

Kol shook his head. "No, don't invite her. I won't be able to hang with the guys, I need a night away from my love. Creed's got lots of presents, they look awesome! We can a nerf war later too. I'll kick uncle Jackie's ass!"

"Hey, no bad words. Dad! Stop teaching him this language." Jacey poked her son's cheek.

"When do I ever curse?" Aleksandr shook his head as he took a bite of his cupcake. "I'm a literal saint. Isn't that right Kol?"

Kol nodded his head. "I learned that word from Jackie. He called my B a _big ass hoe_." He giggled as he dropped his hands to Bri's and started tracing her rings.

"Jackson!" Bri shook her head. "If he says that word again, pop his nose ok Kol?"

Jacey started laughing. "Spot on, you can't even be upset B. He's being honest." She smirked as she nodded her head. "I still blame dad though."

"I'm not upset." Bri laughed and shrugged. "Has some honesty to it."

Kol leaned over to Creed and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Your mom is a weirdo like my mama."

"Oh, I know." Creed nodded his head and smiled. "Help me open this other big box! Maybe it's another bike and we can start our own MC."

Kol nodded eagerly. "The twins can join us too! It'll be fun. We'll be the coolest MC ever, way cooler than Action Jackson's club!" He grinned at Creed.

"My heart is ready to explode of this. Oh my god." Jacey sighed heavily. "Love them."

"Did he just call me _Action Jackson_?" Jax chuckled as he lowered the giant box in front of his son and nephew. "Have at it and I wanna know the name of this club Kol."

Kol shook his head. "None of your business. You can't join. You're too ugly." He smirked.

"It's another bike!" Creed gasped as he turned Kol's attention to the box. "It's a black one. You wanna ride this one? What're you gonna be, president or vice?"

Kol shook his head. "No I have my own at home. You pick one and ride it. What are you gonna be? I wanna be VP!"

"I wanna be the President." Creed nodded as he looked between the bikes before getting onto the black one. "This one looks like my dad's so I'm gonna ride it. Come on Kol, let's go get yours then we can talk club stuff."

Jacey gestured to Kol. "Go Hap. Jax pass Ashtyn off and go too, your boys wanna ride around on their Harley's." She smirked at Happy. "Have fun."

"My heart is exploding." Bri smiled at Jacey. "They're like us, argued one minute, back together the next. Now they have their own MC. Time is flying."

"We'll be back." Jax kissed Bri and smirked. "Gotta go ride Harleys with our boys. Save us some cake. Creed tell your mom you love her."

"Love you." Creed hugged his mom and smiled brightly at her. "Best party ever. Love you mama, love you so much." He kissed her and nodded. "Later!"


	86. Oh No

**June 16, 2015**

"I think it's ironic when a chapter starts with dialogue," Brianna Hohrykova stated as she folded the corner of the page down before closing the book she was currently reading. "Don't you think it should start with setting up a scene?"

Jax looked at the brunette and shook his head. "Not if it's a continuation of a chapter before it. If it bugs you that much, just skip down to the description."

She sat up slowly, passing the book to Jax before shrugging her shoulders. "I guess you have a point there but I do want to go on record saying that it's a terrible, terrible thing to do. I want to write a book though, I always see you scribbling away in those little notebooks of yours and it has inspired me to pick up a pen and notebook and start to pen a memoir. I've had an extraordinary life and the world needs to hear about it all. From growing up in castle in Russia, to moving to a penthouse in Queens. The heart shattering first love, the world shaking second love, the first love coming back and being just as heart shattering as the first time, to the love I have now. It's been a pretty epic life and if it can't make it as a memoir then at least it can be a young adult or teen fiction book series."

"I support this, like everything else you throw yourself into." He smiled at her before starting to flip through the book. "You're reading a book about Mary, Queen of Scots?"

"Yup." Bri nodded as she tugged her sandals off. "I've already read about all of the Russian royalty, so I thought I'd start reading about Mary, then I'll move to Bloody Mary, then the Elizabeths and then dabble with some Anne Boleyn, she was a queen, for a while. One of my most favorite women in history. She found a man with power but used her brains and sensuality to get him to execute things that she wanted done."

"Tell me more about Anne." Jax nodded his head slowly. "She obviously fucked up somewhere along the lines because didn't he chop her head off?"

"She was described as being a bit funny looking, long neck and that's why she always had a choker on. She was a well studied woman and knew what she wanted and how to go about getting it. Her sister had failed with Henry so she was sent in, close the deal and elevate her family to a whole new level of power. So, she did. She seduced the king, made him fall in love, promised him a male heir but failed to do so, time and time again." She shook her head. "He let the people of his court get under his skin. There were talks of adultery on her part, the more vile of that is that she tried to get her brother to knock her up, give her a male heir so she could pass it off as Henry. He wised up to her game, I think he was just bored with her. She offered no challenge, broke her promise, made him change things, more notably, he broke off with the Catholic church so he could divorce and wed her. I think that's everything, I hope that's everything."

"It always amazes me that you can talk about anything and everything that you want to." He smiled at her. "So, why do you always downplay your intelligence? Let people think you're stupid and not a walking encyclopedia of useful and useless things?"

"Easier." She shrugged as she set her bottle of water down. "It's a trick with self preservation. I learned it from my husband, the dead one. He didn't like when I spoke on topics he knew little about. I'd get the shit smacked out of me in the bedroom for making him look like an idiot. _Gorgeous girls don't need knowledge of anything except for how to make their husband happy, how to take care of the house, how to raise children and how to do what her husband tells her to do_. For nearly a year, I was slapped around and trained. Ultimate punishment? He had me stripped in front of his friend and marked with his sigil, then he declared that I was his and only his and that if the price were right he may consider selling me for a night or two. You'd think I would have given up on love, on men because of him but I just kept telling myself that not every man is like him."

"But you're a surgeon, a business woman and a mom. People have to know you're intelligent." He shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that shit."

"Ha." She laughed. "I'm Brianna Hohrykova, everything was handed to me, I've done nothing to deserve it, I was simply born into the right family, married into the right family and that was that. I heard that I even slept my way through medical school to earn my medical degree." She shrugged. "Everything I do, people work hard to discredit me. Look at it, I can't practice what I love here, California is reviewing my credentials. God, when I'm upset, I sound more Russian than I normally do. It's a shame, is it not?"

"You're a mess." He laughed before pulling the brunette into his lap and kissing her neck. "I love you, so damn much. You don't even understand it my love. Russian accent or no Russian accent, I love your voice. It's calming."

"Mmm, I love the feel of your beard on my neck." She chuckled as she rubbed her hands over his face. "I love it so much. It is so calming."

"See, you're a horrible, horrible person." He shook his head and chuckled. "I like to think that you're with me because I am a great guy."

"Oh, you are a great guy. Can you remember why you went after me to begin with?" She looked at him and smiled. "Because I was gorgeous. It was the looks, then somehow it turned into you liking the personality and everything else."

"Um, you went after me because of my looks." He squeezed her waist and shrugged. "Then we figured we were more compatible when we actually talked and weren't just fooling around. Who would've thought? The biker and the princess…"

"Pretty sure that's what everyone calls Happy and Jacey, the biker and the princess." She laughed and shook her head before standing up. "Come on, let's take advantage of the kids being with my dad. Let's do something fun."

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"When you said something fun, I thought you meant sex." Jax let the brunette tug him into her arms business. "What are we doing?"

"You love guns, I love guns. We got new guns in earlier so let's go play with them. Couple of M-16s if that piques your interest babe."

"I do wanna see those guns now." He walked up the stairs behind the brunette, his blue eyes on her ass. "You're shooting in that dress?"

"Yeah." Bri looked back at him and nodded. "I do it all the time when I'm here conducting business. Trust me, I look amazing while shooting in a dress and heels. So, just keep your eyes on my ass while I lead you to the range."

"I don't doubt that." He shook his head as he entered the range behind her and smiled. "How have I never been to this place before? Why haven't you invited me here before babe?"

"I did when it first opened, you were too busy being jealous and angry that Alex was my partner to partake in festivities." She chuckled softly. "How are you dealing with that by the way? With Alex being my business partner?"

"I don't like him." Jax shrugged as he picked up an assault rifle. "I can get why you have to have Juice in your life, he's Javier's dad. Alex, he serves no purpose, he just is an ex, who happens to be rich because he learned a thing of two from you. I don't like him. You don't need to work with your ex Brianna. It already takes everything in me not to beat the shit out of Juice every time I see him. You don't know how badly I want to beat his face in. I can't though because you tell me not to and to let it go. Like this last time, he just snapped at you… I wanted to wring his neck but I refrained because you asked me to."

Bri sighed as she loaded her gun. "I know that Juice needs an ass kicking but I also know that you'd go overboard with it. He's an asshole to me but he's a good dad to Javier and that is all that really matters when the day is over with. Isn't it? Like, I don't mean to be protective of Juice, I want to just be able to say have at it. I know if or when he fucks up with the club, then I won't have a say in what happens to him… As for Alex, if you don't want me to be partners with him any longer, then I can buy him out of his part of the business. Sound good?"

"I really don't want you to be partners with him." He shook his head slowly, finally admitting out loud to the brunette what he had been thinking since the moment Alex had first showed up to their home. "It just makes me uncomfortable."

"You wanna talk about uncomfortable?" She looked at the man and shrugged. "You know before we completely stopped talking to each other, I had went to the clubhouse, looking for you. It was during a party and I was at the bar, talking to the girl, asking where you were and you walked out from the back hall with some dumb looking blonde on your arm. Like I went there with the purpose to find you and left not wanting anything to do with you again."

"What changed your mind then? Since we're being honest with each other right now?" He smiled at her as he watched her carefully load the gun she was holding. "Tell me."

"I don't know." She shook her head. "Knowing that you weren't judging me on my past so I shouldn't judge you on yours. It's not like I had any power to complain about what you were doing. We were single, nothing was set in stone between us besides the fact we had chemistry and amazing sex."

"Oh chemistry and amazing sex huh?" He chuckled as he rested his hands on her hips and kissed her lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't know any of this. At least you got over it and agreed to marry my ass Brianna. I love you."

"So it's true, you are here today." Alex smiled at the couple. "About time the little receptionist learns the difference between you and the maid."

"Unbelievable." Jax shook his head as he turned to look at the man. "Speak his name and he shall appear."

Bri rolled her eyes. "Hey Alex, don't mind us, we're just shooting the new toys. I'm offended that the receptionist thinks the maid looks anything like me. It's the dark hair huh? I swear, I'm prettier than her. We still on for that meeting tomorrow? I have an important topic to present to the table."

"Yeah, we're still on for that meeting." Alex nodded as he looked at Jax. "You should join us at the table Jax. Since you're marrying into an arms family. You should get familiar with the whole process of legally selling and buying guns."

"Really?" Jax moved away and towards Alex. "You got any more suggestions?"

"I'm just saying." Alex smirked at Jax. "You should actually see how it all works, maybe you can work here too."

"What's with that damn smirk?" He growled, stepping even closer to Alex as he felt Bri's hands leave his shirt. "I don't need to see how any of this works, this is Brianna's passion and I'm pretty sure I can grasp the concept of what it's like to sell guns. Legally or illegally. Pretty much the same process."

"Brianna, can you get your little biker?" Alex looked at the brunette before his attention was brought back to Jax as he felt a hit to his jaw. "Did you really just hit me?"

"I don't like you." Jax shrugged as he shoved Alex backwards. "The little condescending attitude needs to stop. It really needs to stop." He shook his head. "I tried to put up with it because I love Brianna and I love my sister Jacey and you seemed to be an important person to them but I'm done with playing nice, I'm over it."

"Not worth it." Bri grabbed a hold of Jackson's shoulders, only to fall backwards to the ground as Alex shoved the man. "Fucking, seriously? Can you two not act like fucking children right now?" She stood up, dusting off her ass before shaking her head as the two men locked up. "You know what, nevermind. You two fight this out. I'm out of here. Fucking dumbasses."

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"Brianna, I'm sorry." Jax wrapped his arms around the brunette and kissed her neck. "Talk to me babe."

"No." Bri shook her head, it had been two hours since she had left Alex and Jax during their fight and she was still livid with them both. "I don't know what you want me to say. Congratulations on picking a fight with Alex? You should be ashamed that neither of you bothered to break it up when I was knocked to the ground?"

"I'm sorry but if it makes you feel better, he looks worse than I do." He turned the brunette around and shrugged. "I'm sorry, forgive me baby please?"

"Fine." She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I forgive you but you're cleaning yourself up. I'm not playing doctor with you tonight Jackson. Don't even deserve it. Look at me, I'm all dressed up and looking good. We were supposed to go to my office at the armoury and fuck like crazy babe. You and your jealousy got the best of you."

He groaned and shook his head. "You're killing me right now." He rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "I love you. Now let me get you out of this skirt."

"Not a chance." Bri pushed him away from her. "Maybe you'll learn a lesson right now. No lovin' when you get so prideful that you can't check on your girl. My ass is bruised and it hurts but I can't find Jacey to rub my butt for me, so I guess I'll just rub my own butt and make it better." She chuckled. "Love you Jax. Now go clean yourself up."

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 **Yeah, I know, I suck at updates but love me and this story anyways, yeah? :) I have another update coming soon, it's loaded with lots of Abel, Jax, Bri and the family. :)**


	87. Uh Oh

**June 19, 2015**

It was a hot July night when Jax woke up to the sound of glass shattering. He reached over to his nightstand, grabbing his gun before he turned the light on, finding the bed empty. Not seeing Brianna, had him on even higher alert as he moved out of the bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time before he saw the doors to the kitchen closed. He shook his head, inching closer and closer before opening the doors, finding his fiancee bent over, picking up pieces of glass. "You should use a broom."

"Shit." Brianna whipped around, her finger going to her mouth before she moved to the sink, running her finger under the cold water. "Scared me. I dropped a bowl while trying to load the dishwasher. "I couldn't sleep…"

"Another nightmare?" He shook his head as he set the first aid kit from on top of the fridge onto the counter beside the brunette. "You should've woke me up."

"I can't keep waking you up babe. It's not fair." She shook her head as she let him take her finger and dress the cut. "You need your sleep and I don't want you to be sleepy while riding your bike babe. I came down here to just cook, thinking that it'd clear my mind. I've already baked six cakes and three dozen cupcakes. It hasn't made me feel any better. I did make you cupcakes to take to the clubhouse, the buttercream has bourbon in it and the cake does too."

"You made cupcakes for the guys?" He chuckled as he kissed her finger. "All better, no more pain or anything baby."

She shrugged as she lifted herself onto the counter before pulling the man to stand between her legs. "I did make you cupcakes for you and the guys. I know it's cheesy but I think they'll enjoy them." She smiled as she combed her fingers through his hair. "Mmm, your hair is so soft and I could just play with it all of the time."

"Talk to me." He squeezed her bare thighs and studied her face carefully. "Talk to me about your nightmare this time Brianna."

"Same as all the other nightmares." She shook her head slowly. "I was back in that storage container being beaten to death. This time, I died though. I was at the back of my funeral, just watching all of you hurt."

Jax shook his head as he wrapped his arms around the brunette, resting his head against her chest as he sighed. "I'm sorry, that sounds worse than the last few nightmares that you had. You think you wanna start talking to that therapist again? Maybe stick with it?" He pulled back, looking at her again. "You need to talk it all out."

"I started talking to her again." She nodded slowly as she braided Jackson's hair back into two braids. "It hasn't helped so far but I'm going to try to stick with it this time. I was also going to talk to my dad or something. Something inside of me just wants to lash out and seek revenge. Like but I can't because every single person involved in me being kidnapped and hurt are gone. Everyone got to be angry and seek their revenge but I haven't gotten to."

"Did you just braid my hair?" He ran his hands over his head and shook his head slowly before gesturing towards the brunette's long braids. "Are we twins right now Brianna? This is how you wanna see me?" He laughed and shook his head as he caught his reflection in the window. "Maybe it'll be good, see if you can't go after the little one they kept alive, the one that's related to your former husband Max."

"I think you look handsome as fuck." She smirked back at him before tugging on his braids. "Nah, I'm not messing with a Mikhailov, I don't want the rest of them coming after me. I don't need that type of bullshit. I just wish I would've gotten to torture the woman who beat me half to death. I wanted that chance, I needed that chance. You know what that's like, you wouldn't want someone else to handle your beef, you'd want to do it yourself."

Jax nodded slowly, knowing exactly where the brunette was coming from. He always handled his own issues, exacted his own revenge. Had he known that the brunette wanted to do it all herself, he would've voiced that for her but he didn't know. "I know what you mean." He pressed a kiss to her lips before smiling. "I'm sorry you didn't get that chance babe."

"I know and here I am, four in the morning, baking cakes like it'll make it all better for me." She shook her head slowly as she traced her fingers over the scars on the man's chest. "They'll all just make me fat. I already had two slices of the red velvet cake."

"I think you'll still look good if you're fat." He laughed as he tugged on the shirt the brunette was wearing, one of his worn out reaper shirts that she seemed to love so much. "I will make sure all the cakes get passed out and I'll make sure that the red velvet cake is left though. I know it's your favorite."

She shrugged as she let him pull the shirt over her head before she smiled. "The markers are over there you three year old." She shook her head and laughed, it was their thing, or it had turned into their thing ever since the nightmares had started up. He'd distract her with coloring and redesigning the tattoos covering her body. The body art that still shocked everyone who didn't know her. A surgeon with tattoos was a rare occurrence but she was proud of her tattoos, from the moth on her arm to the delicate flower that was on her foot. "Which one are you covering up this time?"

"I am changing up this skull on your shoulder right here, I think it needs to be something more delicate and true to you." He shrugged as he started to draw over the tattoo. "Like, we can turn it into a flower or something, a flower with a crown."

"That's so generic, leave my skull alone, it's a family mark. It's the same one that my dad has tattooed on his arm." Bri smiled. "I don't think you even know what you're doing anymore. Why don't I just lay down on my stomach and you can go crazy with decorating my back? I know how much you want to."

"I do." Jax nodded slowly as he helped the brunette off of the counter, following after her towards the living room. "You know I've been wanting to get my face on your back." He chuckled, watching her as she dropped onto the bean bag face down. "I don't know if I can draw my face on your back though."

"Then draw something that means a lot of you and to us. Do not however draw a reaper or anything of that sort on my back." She chuckled as she felt the marker start to move over her skin. "I want something nice and lovely."

"I'm not drawing a reaper." He laughed as he looked up from her back. "I'm trying to draw that one little spot we had went to for our one year anniversary, the little beach house. That was a nice trip, I think we should go back there one day."

"We can go back, I still have that beach house." She smiled and nodded. "We'll see if the grandparents will take the kids, then you and I can go have a weekend together, maybe try to fuck in the sand for real this time."

Jax nodded slowly and smiled. "I'd like that. I'll reach out and see if they can take 'em next week or something. Don't fight the sleep either, I can hear the sleep in your voice baby, just let it take you over. You can see the end result when you wake up."

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"Ma, ma, ma, ma." Noah babbled as he crawled onto the bean bag his mom was sleeping on, his mouth instantly on her cheek as he giggled. "Ma, ma, ma, ma." He tugged on her hair roughly, smiling as her eyes flew open. "Ma, ma, ma. Hi, hi."

"Hey baby." Brianna smiled as she looked at her son. "Baby boy, look at you, who let you run wild? You escape your dad and he hasn't noticed just yet?" She sat up slightly pulling her son onto her lap, running her fingers through his thick brown hair. "My handsome little man. Where's your brother?"

"Uh oh." Noah shook his head as he pointed a tiny finger towards the archway. "Mase, Mase."

"Yeah, uh oh." She shook her head as she stood up, walking out of the living room and into the family room, smiling as she saw that Mason and Jax were fast asleep, on the sofa. "That's how you escaped huh? Daddy didn't even have you two secure at all."

"No, no." He shook his head as he buried his face in his mom's neck. "Ma, ma, ma."

Bri chuckled as she rubbed her son's back. "I'll love on you and I'll feed you. I know you have to be hungry for a bottle or for some food. You wanna try some pureed carrots today? Or do you want your usual?"

"Mmm." Noah looked at his mom, flashing her a smile dotted with a few teeth. "Mmm."

"You just like food, maybe we can try you with a pizza crust." She moved into the kitchen, settling Noah into his high chair. "My baby boy, you're going to eat so good. It's lunch time, what'd your dad feed you for breakfast? I wish you could tell me." She opened up the fridge, pulling out a slice of pizza before tearing the crust off and passing it to Noah. "Have fun gumming that down while I warm up your food."

"Um mom he can't talk back." Creed shook his head as he climbed up onto the stool at the island, picking up the slice of pizza. "He doesn't know all the words like me yet."

"Oh well excuse me." She smirked as she looked at her son. "I didn't know you knew all of the words! Why aren't you teaching him more words baby? You gotta help him and Mason learn how to talk like big boys like you."

He shrugged as he looked at his little brother and smiled. "I'll teach him some more words. Noah butt can you say pizza? Pizza! Pizza!" He shook his head slowly as he waited for the younger boy to repeat after him. "He won't say it mom!"

"Relax little boy." Bri shook her head. "He will say it when he's ready to say it, he's just having fun eating his pizza crust. Look at him, what a little fatty huh?"

"Is he stupid?" Creed studied his brother carefully. "He's not stupid right?"

"Jackson Creed Teller." She looked at the blonde and shook her head again. "He's not stupid, don't say that word anymore. He's a baby, he's not going to learn words fast. You barely talked at his age. You would only talk to your uncle Happy."

"My name is Creed." He huffed as he pushed his hair out of his face. "I love you mom."

"I love you to _Creed_." She smiled as she sat down to feed Noah. "I want him to eat this yummy food. I think he'll love it. He's getting more teeth, you see them in his mouth? Pretty soon he'll have as many teeth as you."

"Oh." Creed looked at his brother and nodded his head slowly. "Noah Butt, you got some tiny teeth." He smiled before flashing his own teeth. "Look at my teeth, nice huh? Mama just said you'll get teeth like mine."

"Mama." Noah smiled as he waved at his mom before turning his attention onto Creed, his tiny hand reaching out. "Ree."

"Mom! He said my name!" Creed looked at his mom. "He called me Ree! Close huh!?"

"Very close." Bri nodded eagerly as she watched Noah continue to reach for his older brother. "You wanna hold him Creed? He seems to wanna give you loves."

"Yeah." He nodded as he watched his mom lift Noah out of the highchair. "He's my other brother. I have three brothers. Javi, Noah and Mason." He smiled as he accepted his little brother. "Oh, you're so heavy Noah Butt."

"Oh thank God, I thought I lost him." Jax rubbed his chest as he walked into the kitchen. "I didn't mean to fall asleep with them like that. I'm sorry." He kissed Bri's temple.

"He found me, gave me wet kisses and I loved it." She shrugged her shoulders as she pointed to Creed and Noah. "They just want to be cutesy and lovey with each other. Noah called him Ree and Creed was over the moon about it. Where's my Mason?"

"He's fast asleep." The man shook his head as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "He's in his playpen, I didn't leave him on the sofa this time. I had a good nap though. They had pancakes and applesauce for breakfast."

"Good, good." Bri smiled and nodded slowly. "I'm happy you fed them but where's my pancakes huh? You didn't wanna make me breakfast?" She poked at his chest. "You sure you want that much coffee with your sugar? It may ruin the taste of the sugar."

Jax nodded his head slowly, taking a sip of his coffee before pointing towards the microwave. "I made you waffles, the pancakes would taste nasty warmed up." He smiled before pressing a kiss to the brunette's lips. "I love you. I'm going to shower, enjoy these kids."

"Love you too." She squeezed his hand before smiling, settling into her seat as she watched her sons smile at each other. Everything was nice in the world at the moment. Gone were the thoughts of the kidnapping, in their place were thoughts of where Creed and the twins would be in the years to come. She could only hope they'd still be close and maybe even causing trouble together. "Love you babies." She smiled at the boys. "Keep on teaching him those words."

* * *

 **Oh I know, I took basically a whole month to update. I promise Abel will pop up again but for now, I have some fluff for you guys, just to get me back in the swing of writing this story and pushing out updates.**


	88. Out

**June 21, 2015**

Jackson Teller moved through the large house, his mind everywhere but where it needed to be. He was worried about Brianna, the brunette had lost way too many hours of sleep over the past few weeks and he was worried about her mental and physical health. Mostly because of the way she seemed to find solace in the many sweets she'd bake, then he'd have to listen to her complain about all the weight she had gained. He watched her move from a size four to a size eight in less than a month and that was cause for concern. So he did the only thing he knew to do, he reached out to Aleksandr and Sariya. "She's probably in the kitchen again."

"She's in bad shape?" Sariya looked at the man. "Mentally? Where is she at? Has she been seeing her therapist like she should be?"

He shrugged as he stopped just short of the kitchen. "I don't know, I really don't know. She told me she's seeing her a few times a week but the nightmares aren't easing up and I can see it in her eyes, sometimes she's just terrified to fall asleep if I'm not there with her. She used to be able to go to bed and I'd join her when I got sleepy, now she'll stay up with me until I'm ready to go to sleep."

"We went through this with her once before." Aleksandr shook his head slowly as he peeked into the kitchen. "It was when she was pregnant with Monica, near the beginning. We used to have to just sit up with her, then it eventually stopped." He sighed. "She needs to be able to deal with what happened to her. When it happened the first time, she had the option of confronting Max, it made the nightmares stop but created a new issue. Him being even more aggressive with the way he'd treat her. He ended up just moving out of the house all together though, only coming by when he needed to put on a front for his colleagues."

"There's no way for her to really confront this head on though, if everyone who was involved in what happened to her is gone." Sariya sighed. "It's like there was no ending for her. You all may have told her don't worry, it's handled but she didn't get the satisfaction nor the closure for herself to move truly forward."

"Please, just walk into the kitchen, I can hear you three talking." Bri poked her head out. "Are you guys talking about how fat I got and how I need lots of help?"

"You did put on some weight." Sariya smiled at her daughter before pulling her into a hug. "Jackson reached out, he's worried about you losing sleep Brianna. We knew it was bad for you but didn't know it was this bad."

The brunette shook her head as she walked further into her kitchen. "First of all, I don't know what any of you three are going to say to make the nightmares stop. I go to therapy three times a week, I have sleeping pills, I have this routine that the doctor gave me. She told me to fall asleep thinking about positive things. That doesn't work the entire night. I can go to sleep, have a fine dream but it's when I get into a deeper sleep that the nightmares stop. Over and over again, the same thing but it never ends with me living. It ends with me dying and me standing at the back of my funeral service, watching everyone cry as I cry and scream for them to notice that I'm there and not only person who ever seems to sense that I'm there is Monica, she always turns and mouths mom, her green eyes always find my grey ones."

Sariya nodded slowly, moving closer to the brunette before looking at Jax and Aleksandr. "Can you two give us a moment? I need to talk to her, woman to woman for a little bit." She watched the men leave the kitchen, sliding the doors shut before she turned her attention back on Brianna. "You remember the day we first met Brianna?"

"Yes, I remember. It was for my interview for residency." Bri nodded her head slowly. "You asked me why I was doing my residency with you and not at a practice that specialized in cosmetic surgery. I told you that I may want to change, go into obstetrics and gynecology instead, I wanted to learn how to deliver healthy babies."

"And what did I tell you?" The woman eyed the brunette carefully. "What did I tell you? I know you couldn't have forgotten…"

"You told me that was a smart choice because cosmetic surgery is a boys' club, that I'd never get respect and that the only way I'd rise to the top in that career was if I slept with the right surgeon." Bri shrugged. "I told you that you were stupid and then I'd be out of your hair as soon as possible because I wanted to prove you wrong."

Sariya chuckled and nodded. "You did indeed call me stupid but you also proved me wrong, you managed to pull off being a resident under me and under my hospital's top cosmetic surgeon. You put his work to shame and what did he do to you in return? You remember that night? You coming to my office and looking terrified out of your mind?"

"Of course." She nodded. "He tried to have sex with me and when I told him no, he got mad, told me that he'd get me kicked out of the program and make sure I never became anything and that my schooling would've been for nothing. I was terrified because being a doctor was what I busted my ass off for, why I gave up my daughter and why I spent many nights studying and doing what I needed to. I even kept up with my schooling when I moved to Sweden, made sure the credits would transfer. God, it was satisfying to do my first boob job. I was so proud of it too. The girl was over the moon with the results."

"Where's that man now?" Sariya smiled at the brunette. "You got him booted, you got him in trouble and you did what no other female resident under him had ever done. You came forward with that sexual harassment. I know it wasn't the revenge you wanted because in my office that night, I could see that you wanted to kill that man."

"Killed his career, so I technically killed the man." Bri smiled. "What are you getting at though? What does this have to do with the nightmares and what happened to me?"

"You were terrified, for weeks over him saying something and you losing it all, you were also terrified after you reported him. You remember the threat you got on your car? You also didn't want me telling your dad about it, I wanted to but you told me that you can handle it, that you needed to do it yourself, for your sanity. Is that what's happening now? You couldn't deal with the person who did this to you, so you're reliving it, hoping that by some miracle you'll be able to face off against the woman who did this to you and get that closure?" Sariya wiped at Brianna's tears. "It's okay if that's what you need Brianna, you should've had the option of doing so."

"I want that closure, I need that closure." She shook her head as she wiped her eyes roughly. "I wanted to do to her what she did to me. I wanted to watch and make her suffer." She sighed. "I _needed_ that. I talked to Jacey about it, told her about the nightmares and she shared some shocking news with me about it all… The woman who did it to me, is her birth mom and Aleksandr's ex wife. My only option for any type of revenge would be to go after either of them but I could _never_ do that. So, how do I resolve these feelings, how do I move forward? How do I get better?"

"What?" The older woman grabbed Brianna's chin, tilting her head so they were looking at each other once again. "Your dad's ex wife did that to you? He didn't bother telling you that he knew your assailant?"

"Nope." She shook her head again as she lifted herself up onto the counter and sighed. "I'm trying so hard to get these nightmares to stop."

"I'll stay with you if you want me to." Sariya nodded as she pulled Bri off the counter and into another tight hug. "I'll make sure you're good. You just have to be completely honest with me and let me help you work through this."

Brianna nodded, chewing on her bottom lip before dropping her eyes to her hands, spinning her engagement ring slowly. Her mind being bombarded by all the images from her nightmares. "I started having a new nightmare, one where Aleksandr and Jacey are there, standing next to the woman… It's terrible and I don't want to have these nightmares. I want to be happy again, I want to get through this. I want to move forward in my life and not have this pull be a hundred steps back."

"Own your shit, own your demons. You let this eat you up and who will be here for your children? You're hurting, I understand that completely, I know you're hating this but I'm here. You can talk to me, we'll get you through this together." Sariya rested her forehead against Brianna's. "You do however need to be open about _everything_ , you can't push this down anymore, you tried that and look where you're at now. You need to talk and you need to bounce things off of everyone around you. Everyone you love and that love you. Talk to your dad, talk to your sister. Let them know where you're at. It'll be hard but you need to do it. No more trying to be strong on your own, it's what you have family for."

"Sorry to interrupt, I got a kid that keeps babbling mama and rubbing his face." Aleksandr looked between the women before holding up Mason. "He seems to want you Brianna."

"He's my mama's boy." Bri smiled as she accepted Mason into her arms. "My best cuddler, he likes to wrap around my head and pat my face until he falls asleep. Sometimes I fall asleep first though."

"Mama." Mason smiled up at his mom. "Hi mama."

"Baby boy." She kissed his face. "You must want your milk. Can you grab his sippy cup from the fridge? It's the one with aliens all over it. He picked it out."

"What do you mean he picked it out?" Aleksandr grabbed the cup before passing it to his grandson. "He's a baby, how exactly did he pick it out?"

"Oh, he's nearing his one year mark." Bri shook her head. "He simply picked it out, he pointed at it and whined over it until I passed it to him. Noah's cup is the one with smiley faces on it."

"Aw, I get it." He smiled. "Sariya, will you leave me, Bri and Mason alone for a few minutes. I wanna talk to her really quickly."

"What do you wanna talk about?" Bri looked up from her son and at her dad. "You come to tell me that I shouldn't have these nightmares because everything has been handled and there's no reason for me to live in fear?"

Aleksandr shook his head slowly, taking in the body language the brunette was displaying. "No, that's not what I wanted to say. I know that you know who had you kidnapped and then beat you. I know I should've said something about it when I found out but I didn't know how to tell you that the woman I once loved did this to my daughter. I'm sorry Brianna, I am."

"Sorry isn't going to make this shit stop. I just want it to stop dad. I want to be able to peacefully go to sleep but I don't know how to handle it and it sucks because I was doing so fine but this shit just refuses to be pushed down for whatever reason." She shook her head slowly, shifting Mason around a bit. "I have this new nightmare, where you and Jacey are standing beside the woman, just looking on as I was crumpled on the ground."

"I don't know what to say Brianna, I really don't know what to say that'll make you feel more at ease or that will make you realize that I am sorry and that if I could take all of your pain away I would do so without second thought. I feel horrible that this has happened to you, I've blamed myself for the kidnapping and every single thing that's happened to you for the last year or so." He shook his head again, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "I never should've given into the brattiness and pettiness of you not wanting any suits around you or your children. I should've stuck with it, I should've forced you to have suits. I should've stepped in, not let Igor or Frey walk away from you or your family. You liked them a lot."

"Dad, dad, dad, just fucking stop okay?" Bri yelled before shaking her head again. "I don't blame you for what happened, I don't blame you for anything. I need you to know that, I really do need you to know that. I just need some time and some space to let it all sink in. It's a whole lot to take in. Your ex-wife, Jacey's biological mother… She broke me, something inside of me has just snapped and I'm struggling to fix it."

"How can I help you Brianna, just tell me and I'll do it." Aleksandr wiped at his face. "I'll do anything for you, you know that."

"I just need you to ease up, I just need space and I don't want you around me for a bit. I'm sorry." She wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry dad, I just can't have you around while I work through this situation. I need to get me through this shit."

"Brianna…" Aleksandr looked at his daughter before nodding slowly. "If that's what you want, then alright. You know where to find me if you need me. When this passes. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to reach out."

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"I kicked my dad out of my life today." Brianna looked over at Jax as he brushed his teeth. "I told him I needed him out for a while, to be able to work through it all, to work on myself. I feel bad but I feel like it was needed."

Jax nodded slowly before rinsing his mouth out and looking towards the brunette. "You did what now? I don't think I've ever seen you go more than a week without your dad, talking, seeing, whining to him. Do you think it'll help?"

She shrugged as she patted her face dry. "I don't know, I hope it'll help. I want it to make me feel better. I want to get better. I want to stop feeling so broken inside. I want to be my old self but a whole lot better. That's what I want Jax. It's what I _need_. I'm upset, I don't know what to do with most of my feelings, I'm usually all about making sure everyone else is good and happy before I take care of myself. Now, I'm trying to take care of myself and it's scary to have to face every single feeling and thought that I've managed to push down over the last months or even years."

"Whatever you need to do, to make you feel better, to help you actually get better, I'm going to support you through it. I told you that time and time again." He cupped her face with his large hands, pressing soft kisses to her lips before smiling at her and wiping away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "I want you to get better Brianna, I need that for you and I'm going to be here every single step of the way. I love you."

"I love you too." She nodded her head slowly as she rest her hands on his and gave him a small smile. "Let's go to bed, I need your cuddles for a while. Let's see if I can't sleep peacefully for at least three or so hours."

* * *

 **So, I took another detour, opting to explore the pain that Brianna has pushed down and aside before I even bring back Abel into the fold. I'd want him to come back in when everything is stable and not when Jax is preoccupied with trying to take care of Brianna. No need to give Wendy any more ammo. :) as always, let me know what you thought and there's a big family event coming up, so be prepared for all of the family to be together.**


	89. Bri's Puppies

**June 25, 2015**

Brianna Hohrykova took a step back, her grey eyes on her reflection in the mirror as she tried her best to adjust to the black dress she was currently sporting. Black had never been her color and it definitely shouldn't been a color worn during a California summer but she couldn't help it. She was in mourning. Although the loss of her dad had been her own doing, she still couldn't help but feel like he was actually gone. "Black is your thing…"

"Black is not your thing." Nik shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her sister and kissed her cheek. "You're a white type of girl. Shit, look at your office, your cars, your home. The only black in this place comes from Jax and Javier's hair. Other than that, you're terrible at incorporating other colors."

"Shush." Furrowed her brow before stepping out of her younger sister's embrace and easily peeling off the black dress before grabbing a pair of leggings and shirt. "You know, I do love the color white but I feel like I'm in mourning and should wear black until it passes."

"Who are you mourning?" Nik shook her head slowly before grabbing her sister's hands. "This about your dad?"

She shrugged before nodding her head slowly. "Yeah, it's about him." She sighed as she stuffed her feet into a pair of white sneakers. "You know, I can't even deal with it. Like, I feel like a shitty ass daughter and person for telling him to get out of my life but I also need to improve myself and that never happens when he's around. Like the last time I had to improve myself was when I ran off to Sweden, he was barely around and I got better and I was able to come back to Oakland when Jacey needed me."

"I'm sure he gets it, I'm sure it's hard for him to be out of your life but at the end of the day he just wants you to be better." Nik trailed her fingers through her sister's long brown hair and smiled. "You my dear, you need to get a trim. I'm not used to you having hair this long. I'm used to shoulder length hair on you."

"Eh, I don't wanna trim it or cut it yet." Bri shook her head. "I'm trying to let it get as long as possible before I'm absolutely annoyed with it." She smiled at the blonde and shrugged. "You look like a hippy, you're giving me flower child, just like Kajsa does. Did you bring your babies?"

"Kajsa is in Creed's room, she brought him flowers. She said she felt like he was sad so she needed to come see him. That's you, that is you rubbing off on my child. You tell her about the Russian witches, fate and visions?" She laughed as she finished braiding her sister's hair. "You look like you're about to go drop the kids off at school before heading to run errands."

"He is sad actually." The older woman shrugged. "He lost a close friend today. His fish Barnacle passed away. We found him belly up in the tank and he cried because the fish wasn't swimming when he tapped on the glass. I told him that Barnacle is now swimming with the bigger fishes and we'll have to find him a new fish. He told me no, he told me he wants a puppy. Hard enough that we had Monster but now Monster is with Juice full time. Yup, he took my damn dog but I didn't care because they had a better bond."

"See, I knew something was missing around here." Nik laughed and shook her head. "A year later but I knew it. Just get a puppy for the family. It'll be cool, it'll grow up with them."

"I will consider a puppy." Bri nodded slowly as she grabbed her purse. "I have therapy, then I have to go into the practice, Lucius Banks summoned me. Like he reached out and asked me to stop by, business proposal or something. You can come with or stick around here and let Kajsa soothe Creed's soul."

"I'm staying here." Nik nodded as she laid on the bed. "I'm going to be here when you get back. Have fun."

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Brianna walked out of her therapist's office, her face swollen and her eyes slightly red as she slipped a pair of sunglasses on. The session had been emotional, more emotional than she had ever experienced. All she wanted now though, was to go home, take a hot shower before crawling into her bed and sleeping until it was time for her to make dinner. "I need some good sleep." She murmured as she walked towards her car, stopping at the sound of a series of tiny barks.

"Hi! Would you like to buy a puppy?" The voice made the brunette turn around. "They're up to date with their shots my mom said so! We just can't afford to keep them all!"

She turned around, looking down at the boy who didn't appear to be much older than her daughter Monica. "What kind of dogs are they and how much?"

"They are beagles, not mutts or anything." The boy smiled as he held up a puppy. "We have four boys and a girl left."

"I'll take them all." Bri nodded as she smiled at the boy before reaching into her purse for her wallet. "How much for them?"

"A hundred each." A woman smiled at Bri. "They're purebred, I can assure you that. Both of our dogs have papers but we just can't afford to feed the five puppies and the bills would be out of this world."

Bri grinned before passing the woman a few crisp bills. "I know they're worth more than a hundred each. That's all I have though. It's a thousand. I usually carry more but today I couldn't make it to the bank." She smiled before hitting the button on her key fob. "Mind helping me get them into my car?"

"Whoa! That's a cool car, look mom she has my dream car!" The boy smiled widely at Brianna. "That is so cool. I want that car, I told my mom I'm going to save up for one."

"My family is an Audi family that's for sure." The brunette opened the back door and smiled. "It's a cool car. It's kind of like driving a spaceship to be honest. Super high tech and all."

"Do you mind me asking what you do for a living?" The woman slid the box with the puppies onto the back seat and smiled. "You look like a doctor or something."

"Surgeon." Brianna smiled. "Plastic surgery." She nodded, happy she had opted for maximum tattoo coverage. "Here, take my card, I'll get your number too. I'll be in touch about possibly getting papers for the puppies in case I want to breed one of the boys to a female in the future."

"Maybe I'll be in touch anyways, I've always wanted to get some work done." The woman chuckled as she slipped the card into her purse. "Come on James, you've ogled her car enough. Thank you once again, enjoy those puppies."

The brunette nodded. "I will enjoy them and so will my kids. It came out perfect, I got four boys and a daughter. So, it was fate that you guys had just that. James, good luck with getting an Audi, it'll be the best decision you make as far as cars go." Bri smiled as she got into her car, looking back at the box of puppies before shaking her head. "Jax is going to kill me for this, he's going to kill me for real."

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Brianna looked at the cart full of puppies and smiled. It had been an hour since she had bought them and she had already gone overboard. Made them vet appointments, purchases collars, tags and all the other puppy necessities. Now, however, she was doing a different type of shopping for the puppies. She was looking for kennels for the puppies, to keep them safe in the backyard if they needed to be put up for any reason. "We have to name all five of you. Creed, Javier and Monica can probably name theirs but the other two, the twins aren't at that level just yet."

"That's a whole lot of puppies." Lucius looked into the cart before at Brianna. "Unusual place for a business meeting Brianna."

"Well, you act like we haven't met in weird places before. I recall you cornering me at a Walmart the first time you wanted me to come to your firm." She shrugged as she smiled at the puppies. "These are for the kids. One for each of them. Yes, I do have five kids now. I had twins and another boy." She looked up at the man. "So, what is this business you want to talk about, you know I can't do anything right now, my license is suspended."

"Yeah, it's suspended on the surgeon side. I checked, you can still practice general medicine." He shrugged his shoulders. "I have a clinic, I met this woman, she's in family practice, I want you to help her get it up and running. You have one of the best family and women clinics in the state. I asked so many people for opinions and you _always_ came up."

"So, you want me to help your girlfriend set up a clinic? I mean, I don't think I want to do that type of favor for you." She shook her head. "I kind of pride myself on branding and taking care of my community and of women. Especially younger women."

"I'm not asking you to do this as a favor, I will pay you Brianna, this is a business deal. I know we didn't exactly walk away on the best terms but I respect you and what you've built. I am reaching out to get you expertise and to get my clinic up and running." He nodded slowly. "Name your price…"

Brianna sighed as she lifted a puppy out of the cart, cradling it to her chest. "See, this is a conflict now, right? If I help you get up and running, then I'm creating competition for myself and my business." She shook her head again. "I'll have to think about it, I'll need a few days to figure out a price as well."

"It's not in Oakland, the clinic is in San Jose." Lucius smiled. "It'd mean alot to me, to my staff if we did get your help. I know a few of my nurses and medical assistants tried to get a job at your place but you have high standards."

"The highest of standards." Bri shrugged her shoulders. "My clinic is a second family to me, it's important that everyone gets along, works well together, can _communicate_. It was important for me to hire medical professionals from the community that my clinic serves. I will get back to you in a few days, I hope you're ready to shell out a few million because that's where I'm thinking my price is heading Dr. Banks. It was nice seeing you. Next time it'll be in an actual business setting, I promise."

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"Why are we standing outside?" Creed looked up at his dad and older sister and frowned. "Is mama telling us that we have to sleep outside?"

"No." Monica shook her head. "Mom probably got some new car and wants us to see it." She smiled. "Or, she just has some cool surprise for you, since Barnacle is now swimming with bigger fish."

"Oh! I could have a new fish?" He smiled and nodded his head eagerly. "Dad! Look! Mama's car!"

Jax nodded his head slowly before adjusting the twins in his arms and smiling. "You have good eyes, that is her. Driving all crazy as usual."

"I have to be out here to see his new fish?" Javier looked up from his tablet and shook his head. "Maybe she is tricking us and is gonna make us carry groceries into the house like she did the last time Jax. Do you 'member that?"

"I do." He chuckled as he made everyone take a step back. "I do remember that and I want to go on record with saying that we have to love her regardless. She keeps our family together."

"Okay, okay guys!" Bri stepped out of her car and smiled at her family. "I have some gifts for each of the kids." She kissed Jax and grinned. "Please don't kill me for this." She moved to the back door, opening it up and laughing as the puppies eased out of the car.

"Puppies!" Monica yelled and clapped her hands. "You got us puppies!?"

"Yes!" he nodded eagerly. "Creed, can you guess which one is yours?"

"That one!" Creed moved towards a puppy, picking it up and kissing it's head. "Because he has a red necklace and I love red!"

"Mom!" Monica lifted up her puppy and smiled. "She's precious, look at this bow. I'm naming her something amazing!"

"Puppy!" Javier picked up his and nodded. "My puppy, his name is Chance."

"My puppy, I'm naming him Rocky." Creed nodded. "I seen it in a movie I watched with dad, Creed and Rocky."

"Look what you've done." Jax shook his head as he pulled Bri into a hug and kissed her temple. "You doubled our responsibility." He chuckled. "What are you naming the boys' puppies since they can't talk. Those poor puppies though, they'll be the most patient things because look at the twins already trying to pick 'em up and hug 'em."

"I don't know yet, I'm sure you and I can figure it out though." Bri rested against Jax. "Monica is so in love with her puppy. Happy and Jacey are going to have a fit when she goes walking into the house with a puppy in tow. Hopefully their dogs can welcome this little beagle into their family."

"Creed named his puppy Rocky…" He laughed. "Javier named his Chance, Monica will probably pick some weird ass name for hers."

"I heard that." Monica narrowed her eyes at Jax. "I'm naming my puppy something amazing and true to who I am and who she is. I'm naming her Juno." She smiled. "Not weird at all, she's a queen, I'm a queen."

"Blue." Noah pointed to his puppy and smiled. "Hi Blue."

"He beat us to it." Bri laughed before pulling Monica into a hug. "Ignore Jax, Juno is the perfect name for your puppy babe."

"I love her so much, thank you mom." Monica kissed her mom's cheek and smiled. "I can't wait to take her pictures. She's going to be amazing as a model. I've never had a shoot with an animal before, so this should be fun."

"I wonder if Mason will name his puppy." Jax pointed to his youngest son and smiled. "At least he's being patient with the puppy, he just wants to hug his."

"Well, I'm glad they're all happy. Now, let's get into the house, it's hot out here and that's not good for you guys or the puppies." Bri laced her fingers with Jackson's and sighed. "I need you to help me figure out what I'm worth. I just got asked to help a clinic start up. So, I need your help to figure out what I should charge."

Jax nodded slowly, slightly taken aback that he was being asked to help with a business transaction. Usually he was kept out of all things Bri did but he couldn't lie, it felt really good to be asked for help. "Of course I'll help you. I'm sure we can come up with a few numbers, bottom line, what you would want and a starting point for negotiations."

"Mmm, that was sexy." She laughed. "All in your business mindset. That was perfect, I love it so much. It'll be fun as hell to talk more about this with you. I can't wait."

 **June 27, 2015**

"You look so good." Jax murmured as he took in the sight of his fiancee, the way that the red dress was hugging and accentuating all of her soft curves. It was taking all his willpower not to just lock them both in their bedroom and keep her all to himself. "You sure we have to go to this thing together?"

"Uh yeah." Bri looked back at the man and smiled. "You can stop drooling, I promise I'll let you get me out of this as soon as we leave the party. As soon as we get into the Escalade, you can have me out of this." She winked at him. "Sound like a good deal?"

"Sounds perfect." He nodded slowly, his mind wandering to the end of their night. "Probably won't even make it inside of the truck. Might have to take you up against it."

"Well, then I won't be needing these then." She tossed her panties at Jax and smirked. "Easy access for you babe. Don't ever say I don't think about you and your needs."

"You're going to kill me." He flung the panties back at the brunette and shook his head. "You shouldn't be allowed to do this to me. You do look so damn good though. You lost some weight too."

Bri nodded as she looked at her reflection. "Yup, I lost a little weight so that's good. I started to make cupcakes that everyone else besides me likes."

"So what's this little dinner party thing for anyways?" He fiddled with his tie. He was uncomfortable and way out of his element but he wasn't going to complain about it to Brianna. He was going to suffer in silence. He was an outlaw, he wasn't made to be toted around to dinner parties or any special events. It wasn't his scene and it would never be his scene. He loved the brunette though and she seemed to enjoy the occasional event and he would just have to suck it up and be at her side for them all. "You helping with that new clinic?"

"Yes." She turned around and smiled at him. "It's for me agreeing to help with the new clinic. I actually was brought on as a partner in it. It's the Banks Hohrykova Family Wellness Clinic. I know, it's a mouthful. I got out voted on the whole Hohrykova Wellness Center. This wouldn't be possible if it weren't for you helping me draw up the contract and the offer Jackson. I owe this night and this win to you. You helped me with this and I'm grateful for it. I am."

He nodded his slowly before standing up and moving closer to the brunette, pulling her into a tight hug before kissing the side of her head. "I'm happy that you let me help you. It gave us a chance to work together and let me see your actual business side. I don't get to see that hard ass side come out very often. You're kind of a softy and I love that but I also love this business side of you. Thank you for including me in this, thank you for making me part of this aspect of your life."

"My outlaw is handsome and intelligent. It's a winning combination," She chuckled as she tugged on his tie before kissing his lips softly. "I love you and thank you for giving up a few hours of your valuable time to escort me to this dinner party. It really does mean the world to me, I don't think I let you know that enough."

Jax smiled at the brunette and nodded his head slowly. It's true, he had been a bit uneasy when it came to knowing if Brianna was happy with the way he was handling everything she threw at him. Hearing her say that it means the world to her when he steps into her life put him more at ease than ever. He was doing right by the beauty, he was doing right by the woman he was so in love with. "It's good to hear it. I love you. Let's go. Hopefully there's an open bar."

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There was no doubt that Jackson Teller as out of his element the moment he stepped foot inside of the lavish home that was hosting the dinner party that was honoring his fiancee Brianna. Every way he looked, there were men in suits and women in dresses that looked like they belonged right on a red carpet and less likely at an Oakland hosted event. He shook his head slowly, taking a sip of the scotch that he had been nursing for the last hour as he watched Brianna work the room, smiling and laughing with even those who seemed as if they were strangers.

"She's a people person." Lucius smiled as he took a seat beside Jax and lifted his own glass of scotch. "She can charm anyone."

Jax looked at the man and gave a single nod before holding his hand out. "Jackson Teller, I don't think we ever formally introduced ourselves."

"Lucius Banks." The man shook his hand and smiled. "Brianna was telling me how you helped her negotiate her terms and this contract. You're a brilliant businessman."

"Thank you." He couldn't help but smile at the compliment that the man had paid him. "Couple of investments so far. I'm just getting into the swing of things. Mostly entertainment type of businesses."

Lucius nodded his head slowly and shrugged. "We all have to start somewhere. My first investment was not even in the medical business. It was actually in a little video store. The store was sold but I made my money back plus a few thousand, not much but it was still pure profit."

"Yeah?" Jax nodded slowly as he watched Brianna pose for another picture with another woman before smiling. "Is that the woman she's going to be helping with the clinic?"

"Yeah, my biggest sales at the store were the porn movies." The older man chuckled. "Yup, that is my girlfriend, Dr. Bianca Hayes. I know, I know, Bianca is close to Brianna. I had to hear about it from my staff, the ones who were close to Brianna. It was a damn shame, it really was."

"Similar initials too." He shook his head. "Don't tell me, you got Bri's initials tattooed on you, so you had to go out and find a woman with the same ones." He laughed as he finished off his scotch. "I can keep a secret."

"Jackson." Bri walked up to the men and pulled her fiance into a hug. "Sorry I've been neglecting you. I'm done with mingling and photo ops. I'm all yours babe."

"Hey." Jax kissed Bri and smiled. "I was beginning to think that I lost you to everyone else babe." He rubbed her hip and smiled. "You enjoying yourself?"

"Yup." She nodded her head slowly. "I want to get out of here though. I want to go home and just hang out with you. They don't need me here anymore. I'm free to leave. Come on." She smiled at him before gesturing to the door. "After party plans."

He nodded slowly as he wrapped an arm around the brunette and pulled her closer to him. "Lucius, nice to formally meet you. It was a nice time but if you'll excuse us, we'll be heading out." He smiled at the man. "You looked in your element out there Brianna. I can really tell that you love being social."

"No, no." Brianna smiled as they walked through the party towards the exit. "I didn't enjoy that at all." She shook her head as she heard the door click behind them. "God, I'm so out of practice with that. I forgot how bad my face hurts when I have to fake a smile and pretend to be interested in everyone's lives. I couldn't stay the entire time. That's just not who I am anymore. I thought tonight was going to be amazing and I was going to have a blast but that's just not _me_ anymore. I didn't feel myself needing to be social like I have before."

"I think you've spent too much time with Jacey. That's my little anti-social butterfly." He chuckled as he opened the passenger door of the Escalade. "I won't take you up against the truck tonight. I kinda want to just go home and laze around with the babies. If that's okay with you babe."

"It's more than okay, it's perfect." She nodded as she watched him fasten her seatbelt before closing the door. "We should stop for some donuts. I could really use some with a creme filling." She looked over at him and smiled before grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. "I love you Jax. Thanks again for letting me drag you to this again. You're the absolute best."

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 **It's been while, I'm sorry. I'm trying to be better at updating but sometimes the words just take forever to end up on a page. We still are following Brianna on her journey of healing. I do need to say that this story is ending at chapter 100. So I hope I can do it justice with the remaining chapters. :)**


	90. Fire

**June 30, 2015**

"I want to cut my hair." Monica Hohrykova declared as she looked at her mom. "I want it shoulder length and chic. Like how yours was."

Bri nodded her head slowly before pulling the brunette to her and trailing her fingers through the twelve year old's waist length brown hair. "Are you sure you want to go shorter baby? You've been growing it out for a while."

"I'm sure." She nodded and smiled. "I want a new look, I am turning thirteen soon and I want a new hairstyle. I know I may not like it at first but I can get over it, plus, it's still early, it'll grow a bit by the time my birthday is here and if I hate it, I'm sure I can pop some extensions back into it and be happy."

"Alright then, we'll make an appointment, make sure your aunt gets good before pictures or you do some self portraits." The older woman smiled as she pulled her daughter into her lap. "I love you so much. I think you're so gorgeous, how'd you get so gorgeous? Huh? Where'd you get these big green eyes from? Max's eyes were green but not as big as yours. They'd get super dark when he was in a mood. So, I could tell when he was upset, I'd hide out in my room from him until it passed."

Monica chewed on her bottom lip, giving a single nod as she tried to figure out if she had ever heard her mom say anything good about her biological father before. "Do you have any good memories of him? Or are they all bad?"

"When I first met him, there were a lot of good memories. Despite him being so much older. He had gifted me this gorgeous, gorgeous fur blanket. I still have it, it's the white one in my office. Then on our first and only actual date, he gave me a diamond tiara, he told me I looked like a princess so he was going to treat me as such. That was a good memory. To round it off, when I found out I was pregnant with you, he was so happy that he told me that he loved me and took me out for a night about town, we went to dinner, ballet and even did a little ice skating afterwards." Bri nodded her head slowly. "I like those memories, he just gave me more bad ones and sometimes I forget when he did love and treat me with respect."

"Why did your dad make you marry him if he wasn't a nice man? You're not going to make me marry some Russian man right?" She furrowed her brow and sighed. "Right mom?"

"I'll never make you marry anyone you don't want to." Bri shook her head. "My dad, Viktor. He just wanted money and power. He thought me marrying Max would make him one of the most powerful men in the world but it didn't work out like that. In fact, Aleksandr has more power than my dad does."

"Do you still talk to your actual dad?" Monica looked at her mom carefully. "Or do you just have grandpa as your dad now?"

"Let's see, I do still talk to my dad on occasion, mostly to see how he's holding up. He was diagnosed with cancer recently, so he's very sick." She shook her head slowly. "So, I make sure he is comfortable, so when the time comes, he goes peacefully. I don't call him dad though, I simply call him Viktor, after a certain age it's more acceptable to call your parent by their first name. I'll however smack you if you called me by my first name."

"I'm sorry about your dad." Monica kissed her mom's forehead and smiled. "I have to go though, alright? I told Nick that I'd meet up with him in the park for a few hours."

"Go, have fun. Don't do anything too dumb." Bri smiled at her daughter. "I love you, call me if you need me, alright?"

"Yes, I know mom." Monica nodded slowly. "Love you too."

"Leaving us for her boyfriend already." Jax shook his head as he walked into the living room and passed his fiance a juice box. "Have one, I know you need it. It's apple, so you can't complain about it either."

"I'm not going to." Brianna laughed as she looked down at the juice box in her hand before shaking her head. "Do I even wanna know why you have this on you right now? Creed gave you hell before going down for his nap huh? I know it couldn't have been the twins since they're fast asleep right now and Javier is in the sandbox building Dinotopia."

"Creed gave me hell." He nodded slowly before pointing to his face. "I got a kick to the face when I was putting him in bed. He told me to stop being a stupid head."

The brunette shook her head and chuckled. "He's super grumpy during his nap times these days. If you would've reached out, I would've told you to just let him run around until he drops and crashes for a while. It's easier that way sometimes. He thinks he's a big boy like Javi and can just go for longer periods without naps. Javi still loves his nap time though. He'll be down at three and up at five, right before dinner."

"He's asleep though." Jax pulled Bri to her feet and smiled. "It's time for us to take a nap."

"You don't wanna take a nap, you wanna get laid." She shook her head as she let him pull her into her office and lock the door behind them. "I'm up for this type of nap."

"Yeah?" He smirked down at her as he rested his hands on her hips, lifting her up to settle her on the desk. "Good."

"Yeah." She nodded slowly before pulling her shirt over her head and letting it fall to the floor. "This kinda nap is my most favorite."

"Good." Jax nodded as he helped the brunette out of her bra before his mouth found the fleshy tops of her breasts. "I like this nap time too."

"You're wearing too many clothes." She panted as she pushed him away from her slightly, her hands moving to the hem of his shirt before she roughly tugged it over the man's head. "A little bit better." She murmured as she pulled him back to her, her lips on his as she reached down between then, rubbing her hands over his crotch.

"You're killing me." He grumbled as he pulled away slightly, his bottom lip caught between the brunette's teeth. "You wanna play rough now?" He pulled her off the desk, turning around before bending her back over as he grabbed the bottom of her skirt. "Not attached to this skirt right?" He pulled at the slit roughly, tearing through the flimsy fabric of the brunette's skirt before watching it fall away from her body, a smile on his face.

"Not attached at all." She shook her head as she glanced back at the man. "You just gonna stare at me or are you going to fuck me?"

"Both." He shrugged as he trailed his fingers over the brunette's back, watching her shiver slightly under his touch. It had been months since her attack and her back was now healed but the raised scars intrigued him, it had some weird effect on him, every single time he saw them. "Nothing wrong with admiring you before I make a mess of you."

"No, I'm onto you, you're just back there planning on how your face will look on my back." She shook her head again. "It's not happening."

He nodded slowly, sliding the brunette's lacy panties down her body. "I gave up that dream." He chuckled as he quickly rid himself of his remaining clothes before stepping back to the brunette, trailing his fingers through her slick folds before pushing two fingers inside of her. "You know what? You wanna be adventurous on this nap time?" He ran his thumb over her rosebud and smirked. "Or no?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head slowly as she looked back at him before wiggling her ass. "I'm down to be adventurous during this naptime babe. Stop teasing me though, it's not fun."

He smirked as he ran his hand over her ass before shrugging, he was horny, he was eager and all he wanted to do was feel the brunette's velvety walls wrapped around his cock. He withdrew his fingers, running them up and down the length of his cock before he pushed into the brunette, pausing to bask in the warmth and wetness of her pussy. "You feel fucking amazing Brianna."

"This reminds me of our first time together." She looked back at him again and smiled. "You were pretty much in awe of the pussy."

"You talk too much." He laughed as he wrapped a hand around the brunette's neck, pulling her back as he started to slam into her. Working himself into a frenzy as he let himself start to get lost in the ecstasy. "Less talking, more moaning babe."

She nodded her head slowly, her words lost on her lips as she let herself get caught up in the feeling of the man slamming into her. Her hands gripped the glass desk tightly. "Fuck, Jax." She purred softly, glancing back at him a salacious grin on her lips. "Thought you were going for a different hole this time…"

He smirked as he smacked the brunette's ass, leaving behind an angry red handprint. "Changed my mind, don't have what we need in here anyway." He shrugged as he groped her ass, watching his dick slide in and out of the brunette.

"Mom!" Monica pounded on the office door. "Come quick! Emergency! Mom! Mom! Hurry!"

"Fuck!" Jax groaned as he pulled out of the brunette and turned his head toward the door. "She has shit timing."

"Jax." Bri shook her head as she fixed herself. "She said emergency." She rushed towards the door, slipping out and looking down at her daughter. "What's wrong?"

"Um! Don't you smell the smoke!? Something is on fire!" Monica waved her arms in the air and shook her head. "Grab the babies. I'm going to save my cameras."

"If the house is on fire just get out Monica." She looked at her daughter before pushing her towards the foyer. "Cameras are replaceable, you aren't." She shook her head before moving towards the source of the smoke and rolled her eyes. "It's fine, I just forgot a cake in the oven from earlier. Surprised it took this long to catch on fire."

"Jesus Christ." Jax shook his head as he extinguished the fire. "Could've been worse." He set the extinguisher down before he pulled the brunette to him. "Don't cry, I know that face baby, you can make another cake."

"I'm not crying because of the cake, I'm crying because I didn't get off." Bri laughed as she slipped her hands under his shirt and smirked. "Come on, let's go to the room, I know that we have what we need up there."

 **July 2, 2015**

Brianna paced back in forth, the sound of her heels clicking against the marble floors in her kitchen were both soothing and annoying to her. She had another sleepless night but she had managed to sneak in a nap with the aid of Noah and Mason who smothered her with wet kisses and lots of baby cuddles. It was amazing and she was grateful that it had given her enough energy to workout and actually put on an outfit that made her feel almost like her old self again.

She stopped her pacing, hearing the door open and the alarm being shut off before she shook her head, running her fingers through her long hair before she exited the kitchen. Opting to have the conversation in a more comfortable and welcoming environment. Her family room would be the perfect spot, it was the site of many get togethers, movie nights and where the kids seemed to flock to when not outside or in the playroom. "Hey Jacey, hey Aleksandr. Thank you for coming over to talk." She smiled at them briefly.

Jacey smiled and nodded as she sat down. "Hi babe. What's going on?"

"I just need to talk to you guys about everything that's been going on with me and everything that's been on my mind lately." Bri nodded slowly. "We can sit in the family room."

Jacey nodded as she stood up. "Ok, let's talk. I'd like to know what's going on lately."

"Me too." Aleksandr shook his head as he looked at Jacey before seeing Bri disappear into the next room. "I feel like she's about to execute us."

Jacey nodded her head. "And I wish she'd just get it over with." She sighed as she squeezed the man's hand before she followed after Bri. "What's up, Bri? Since when do we need to be in a special room to talk?"

"I thought it'd be more comfortable." Bri shrugged as she lowered herself down onto her favorite bean bag chair. "I have a lot to say and I want you two to be comfortable enough to take it all in."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I'm comfortable, talk to me."

"Well, as you guys may both know, I haven't been the best this month. I haven't really been myself and as a result, I've been dealing with some tough emotions." Bri shook her head slowly. "I have to speak honestly with the both of you because I feel like if I don't, I'll just get worse and worse. I straight up lied when I told you both I was okay with you actually being blood relatives. I just am really upset over it and I know that is bratty but I can't actually help it because I had all of these damn questions floating around in my head. Like did Aleksandr only support me coming back here for school because of you? Did he somehow manage to create a situation where we bumped into each other? And I now really let it sink in about why he cared so much about you that he pulled Elijah from Monica to look after us but mostly you. I'm just upset about it."

Jacey rubbed her forehead as she looked down at the floor. "Wow. I assume you have more to say, so please. Continue."

"I'm just sad and I'm upset, I'm kinda hurt and I don't really have an explanation for why I'm hurting over this. Like, God, I want to be happy. I can say that I'm happy for you both but I'm not happy for me in this situation. It was like one thing we had in common, sucky parents but we had him to look out for us." She shrugged as she wiped at her face. "I'm even upset over the stupid Kyla thing and I'm pissed off that no one told me about it when it was first found out. Why did I have to wait and why wasn't I included with the vengeance plan. I feel like I can never get closure from that because I'm never going to go after either of you. I love you too much for that and there's no one else for me to get at."

Jacey looked at Aleksandr and sighed before looking at Bri. "I'm not sure what to even say. I thought I was protecting you and your feelings by not telling you about Kyla, same goes for the plan to kill her. I'm sorry. I'm sorry it's still alive and well inside of you. I'm sorry that he really is my dad, I am. I'm happy that I have him but the DNA changes nothing because I still had shitty parents as I grew up." She ran a hand over her straightened hair. "But I am sorry."

"I don't know how to deal with it." She shook her head. "I don't know how to go about finding closure for that shit. I thought I could push it down and I'd be able to move forward and be happy but it's bubbled up and now I'm just unhappy and depressed. I can barely sleep these days, the only thing I manage to do is eat a whole lot. I just can't get rid of these feelings and I don't feel like it's fair to dump it all on you guys. I feel bad that I feel upset over everything."

Jacey shook her head. "What do you want to do, Brianna? What do you need from us? You say you need closure but can't go after your vengeance on us so tell me what you need."

"I don't know what I need." Bri shook her head again. "I just want to be honest with you guys because I'm tired of lying and pushing my feelings down." She wiped at her face before looking at the pair. "Maybe, maybe it'll be best if we all had some time apart."

Jacey cocked an eyebrow at the brunette before she looked at Aleksandr. "Time apart?" She mumbled. "Time apart."

"I think that's a bit ridiculous." Aleksandr shook his head as he looked at Brianna before sighing. "You can continue to be pissed off at me, for not bringing any of those topics up sooner but it's a little much for you to break up with us."

The blonde shook her head. "It's not fair for her to be just pissed at you. I kept things from her too." She looked up at Bri and wiped at her face. "Is this what you need? Is this what will make things better?"

"It is what I need. I hope it'll make it all better and that I can work through this because I'm upset right now but I don't want that feeling to turn into some type of resentment." Bri frowned. "I don't ever want to hate either of you, so I think this will be good. I'll be able to work through it all."

Jacey nodded slowly as she stood up and moved to Bri, kissing her forehead. "I hope everything gets better, better than ever." She wiped at Bri's tears and smiled. "You know how to find me if you ever need me." She moved away from the brunette, to Aleksandr and she kissed his cheek. "I have to get going, I'll call you later about this weekend." She murmured.

"I'm sorry Jacey, I never thought things would get this bad." Bri looked at her sister. "But I hope they get better quickly. I know that I'll miss you terribly."

Jacey nodded her head as she looked back at Bri. "Take care of yourself, stop eating everything you bake and open a damn bakery. It'd help since baking helps you." She shrugged. "Get better." She moved out of the room, leaving the house.

"Jacey," Aleksandr walked behind the blonde. "Slow down, I can't walk that fast in these shoes."

The blonde stopped and looked back briefly. "Go back to her. This is exactly the problem. I am ok, I'm fine. She isn't. She needs you! Please."

"I don't know how to do this." He shook his head. "I have never had to do this. I always managed to be around for her and for you at the same time these past few years. I just feel like I need to make up for the lost time with you."

Jacey shook her head. "Or with her. I'm fine, she needs you right now. Me and a few years are nothing compared to her nightmares and what she's been through because a pissed off woman wanted to get back at you!" She sighed heavily. "You don't need to be here for me. She's your daughter, you need to be there for her."

"She kicked me out of her life a week or so ago, this is just cementing that." He rubbed his forehead. "She stood in her kitchen, her eyes on me as she told me that she started having nightmares where I was present, just watching Kyla beat her senseless. She doesn't want me around her. You saw it in her eyes."

The blonde shook her head. "I'm sorry, but don't you just regret finding out about me? Don't you regret coming to the states to look for me? Had you never done so, she wouldn't be in this terrible state of mind. She'd be fine." She wiped at her tears. "I was fine, you saw that when you found me and saw I was in school. You could've just left it alone. Gone back. You could've prevented her from meeting me and getting so involved with me. If she hadn't met me, she wouldn't have met Jax and got on the Irish dipshits radar. I'm sorry she's so fucked up, I'm sorry it wasn't me. I'm sorry she is here."

"No, I don't regret finding out about you and I definitely don't regret coming to California to find and meet you. I do wish I would've done it differently. There was honestly no way I could've kept Brianna from meeting you. In her mind, it was fate to meet you and for you two to become close and to become sisters. I don't blame you for her being in this place, I blame myself for not doing all that I could to protect her. I have felt guilty every single day since the moment Jax told me that Brianna never came home. I thought I was doing a good thing, giving her what she wanted, she didn't want a suit on her, I never should've allowed that to happen. I just rethink _every_ single thing I've done over the last months. I just want to make it all go away, I want her to be better." He wiped at his own tears before sighing. "I feel like I've fucked up with her just as much as her birth dad did."

Jacey shook her head slowly as she hugged the man tightly. "You're nothing like him. I don't have to meet him to know that. Go to my house please, check on Camryn." She moved around him and back toward her sister's house, opening the front door and entering the house. "BRI!"

"In the kitchen!" Bri shouted. "Duh!"

The blonde walked into the kitchen and towards Bri. "Are you aware that the man who has only ever looked at you as his daughter blames himself for the kidnapping and the things that have happened to you? Are you aware that he thinks he's as bad, if not worse, than your biological dad?"

"Yes and I told him that I don't hold him responsible for what happened to me." Bri set her cupcake down. "I should've been smarter and I should've taken a suit with me to the clinic… It's on me for not being aware of my surroundings." She shook her head slowly. "I'm upset over not being told who did this to me. I'm upset with not having closure over it and I'm upset that you get to be his real daughter when I've wanted it forever and I know he's told me time and time again that I'm his daughter no matter what but I can't help it that I'm upset, that I'm jealous, that I'm a big ass brat. I'm trying to work through this."

Jacey shook her head. "Sorry for breaking the boundaries. Just wanted to make sure you knew he was feeling the way he did." She sighed heavily. "Take care of yourself, stop fucking eating these damn things then complaining. I know you." She took the cupcake and left the kitchen, leaving the house.

"Did you really steal that cupcake?" Nik looked at Jacey and smiled. "Bri is going to kick your ass if she finds out."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Stole it right from her. I'd like to see her try. I gotta get going, I was dumped. Call me later, I'll try to figure out the schedule for Eva to meet with you." She smiled.

"Why can't you meet with me now?" She smiled. "Everyone needs an ear and shoulder when they get dumped."

The blonde gestured to the fortress. "Are you not going to see Bri? If not then come on, I've got a heartbroken dad too. But I sent him to Camryn because she's good with healing the sadness."

"I came over for a bottle of water, I was on a run." Nik shrugged. "I can get water from your place. Damn, she broke up with him too?"

Jacey nodded her head. "Oh yeah, we have plenty. Come on. Yeah she did, we are exiled. So I'll spend a little time mourning that like the dramatic brat I am before getting back to work. So Eva as your photographer? I'd love to do it but I'm in it so.."

"I'm sorry that happened, maybe she'll get better and stuff." She smiled. "Eva will be good as the photographer. I've seen her work it's good."

Jacey nodded. "You've met her too, right? She's great if not, Monica likes hanging out with her. She's sweet." She smiled.

"I met her before, I liked her." Nik nodded. "If Monica approves she really must be a good person. Monica usually dislikes everyone."

The older blonde smiled and nodded her head as she entered her house. "They talk about snacks and photos. Eva likes having Monica around, they're a good team. Are you excited for the whole dinner menu selection? It was my favorite part of planning the wedding, although Hap didn't want to be a part of it because I was eating everything they put in front of me."

"I am kinda excited, I'm letting Ant take reins over that because he's more of the foodie than I am. I'm still picky as hell and would eat and serve my guests pizza, fries and milkshakes." Nik chuckled. "I'm just simple."

Jacey laughed a little. "Ha had to pick the menu, I was trying to have a buffet because I approved of _everything_. Never let me get pregnant and try to take me to a restaurant, it's so bad." She smiled as she walked toward the kitchen. "Hi Kol Lowman, your girlfriend's mom is here."

"Hi, mama. I'm busy, shhh!" He smiled before he moved toward the dining room. "Shh!"

"You heard the man, he's busy." Nik chuckled as she grabbed a bottle of water. "His little Kajsa made her first little outside friend, her name is Echo. She's a little hippy, we met her at a mommy and me yoga class."

Jacey smiled at Nik as she sat down on a bar stool. "He's actually mad at me because I grounded him from the pool. My poor fish." She rolled her eyes. "Aww, I'm glad for her. She needs friends like her, instead just the family."

"Aww, poor thing." She chuckled and nodded. "I'm happy for her, she just strolled right over to the girl and complimented her flower headband. It was meant to be. Maybe that's what Brianna needs, a friend to talk to outside of our crazy ass family. I love us all to death but we can be a bit overwhelming at times."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I want her to get better and if that happens, then I'll be happy." She smiled at Nik. "Come on, let's go figure where Happy has Ashtyn. My poor girl.

"She'll get better, she always does." Nik nodded as she stood up. "Aw, little Ashtyn."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "Don't aw that baby, she's hell. Lap baby always needs to be held."

"I need another baby badly, don't even get me started. Anthony thinks I'm insane and should wait two years." Nik laughed. "I told him I'm ready to try. Let Sariya poke around and see if they can't find a few eggs or something."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Whenever you're ready is always a good time. You should try it. You might get what you're looking for." She smiled at the blonde. "I'll sell mine to you, easy price of five whole naps."

"I want a little blonde me, nose and all." Nik nodded. "I'll take Ashtyn off your hands, she can cuddle with me and Spencer."

Jacey nodded and smiled. "I'll cash that in when she's on bottles because I need her to be fully fed nowadays." She shrugged. "A little you would be precious."

"I'm down for it." She smiled. "Just a few more months and I'll be whisking Ashtyn off for cuddles and fun."

Jacey smiled and nodded. "Just until December. I'm spoiling her a little, she's not a huge fan of being bothered while she's eating."

"She'll get along with Spencer, that little boy is my fatty and I love him so much." Nik gushed. "He will literally turn red if interrupted."

Jacey smiled and nodded. "Happy loves bothering her then she'll get so upset she'll quit eating and just scream her head off." She shrugged. "That's her way of getting him to leave her alone."

"That's a nice tactic." Nik laughed and shook her head. "I'll have to remember to just scream if I ever want Happy to leave me alone."

Jacey shook her head. "Can you sob and poke your lip out? Because nothing breaks his heart more than his girl all sad over him."

"Yes I can. It's one of the perks of being the baby of the family, that skill never dies." Nik smiled. "I poke the lip out, let it quiver a bit when I want something from Ant."

Jacey started laughing. "The easiest way to get what I want from Hap is to start ignoring him."

"I can't ignore Anthony, man, you think Brianna and Monica are bad with their little grudges and shit, he can take it to the next level. He'll just look at me and I'll be mad that I told him I was giving him the silent treatment because he gives it back twice as bad." Nik laughed. "When we first started dating, we had gotten into a stupid ass argument and I told him I wasn't talking to him for a week. He had gotten called away and I ended up not hearing from him for three weeks. Like I'd text him and he'd just send a period back, to let me know he was still alive but that was about it."

Jacey started laughing, shaking her head. "Hap hangs on me and tries to get me to talk, when that doesn't work, he'll give in and it's all better." She smirked. "He hates silent treatments, he gets mad if it lasts longer than two days."

"Nah, Anthony is the King of Petty, that's why he gets along with Brianna so well." Nik laughed. "That's cute though, Happy is clingy and just wants to love on and talk to his wife."

She smiled and nodded her head. "He puts clingy to shame. He's worse. Ever seen him drunk? He is our three year old. Just dramatic as hell and cuddly, just wants to be loved on and shit."

"Nope, I haven't seen him drunk." Nik shook her head. "I've seen Jax and Juice both drunk, though. _Amazing_."

Jacey nodded her head. "Happy is literally Kol when he drinks."

"The first time I saw a drunk Jax, he got all emotional on me and I was like caught off guard because I never thought of him to be emotional at all." Nik smiled. "Juice was a mess because he's emotional drunk or not. Happy is just an oversized Kol, so it must be fun when he decides to curl up on top of you."

The blonde nodded and smiled as she led her sister into the media room. "Depends on the drink for Jax. He used to sneak back into the house when we were kids, he'd always get our windows mixed up. It was great because then he'd just sleep in my room. I was all about my big brother when I was growing up." She laughed a little. "He's suffocating, not cute. Right baby?" She kissed Happy's head as she approached the man. "Your favorite sister is here."

"Nikola?!" Happy gasped as he looked back. "Finally come to live with us? We're not that crazy, I swear."

"Whoa, _favorite_? I'm never anyone's favorite. See, I knew Brianna couldn't be your favorite sister." Nik laughed. "Yes, I'm moving in. Ran all the way over here, so Anthony wouldn't expect anything fishy."

Happy started laughing. "Nah, nah, nah. You're my favorite. You're much more entertaining, never mad at me either." He shrugged his shoulders. "You're not sleeping with my wife, though."

"Bro, I'm telling Brianna the news." Nik smirked. "Honestly I'm only ever mad at people that fuck with my kids, family or money. Other than that, I just go with the flow. I don't wanna sleep with just her, I wanna be in the middle of you and her. Nikola sandwich."

Jacey scoffed. "I'm not offended or anything." She smirked at the younger blonde. "I'm so tired, you can share a bed with us if you rock me to sleep."

"Of course I'll rock you to sleep." Nik smiled at Jacey. "It's my specialty to be honest." She nodded slowly before pulling the blonde into a hug. "Come on, I'm serious about the cuddles and nap. It'll be an amazing experience."

* * *

 **I know, this chapter was a bit all over the place but then again this family is messy and perfect. lol You also had more heartbreaking moments, Bri asking Jacey for space as well as asking her dad for space yet again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	91. Bonds

**July 5, 2015**

It was happening again. Jackson Teller was feeling his jealousy and insecurity rise steadily. He knew it was silly for him to think that Brianna would ever leave him for someone else but he also couldn't stop the feelings. It was a dull ache in the back of his skull, what if she found someone that was her equal, someone who could offer her everything she deserved plus a whole lot more. He shook his head, trying to get rid of thoughts but he couldn't help it. He needed to talk to someone and he knew the only person that would relate and be able to give him the needed advice was his sister Jacey.

He twisted his hat around before stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked up the path that led to the front door of his sister's home. Once at the door, he paused, reaching forward and pressing the doorbell a few times. A bad habit he had taken from Brianna, a habit he knew would earn him an infamous Teller glare from Jacey if she answered the door.

"Knock that shit off, Katarzyna." Jacey growled as she yanked the front door open, a hard glare on her face before she softened up at the sight of her older brother. "You, ah. You spend too much time with that brat. What's wrong, Jackson? Come here, come in." She reached forward and pulled the man into her house. "What's that look for?"

"I think Brianna is going to leave me." He mumbled as he closed the door behind him. "It's just a thought. I don't know if it's because I'm very insecure and jealous right now, or if it's actually something that'll happen."

Jacey furrowed her brow as she walked into the living room, adjusting the sleeping baby on her chest. "What are you talking about, Jax? What happened huh?"

"She dragged me to some surgeons' event the other night." He shrugged as he dropped down to the sofa, his hands rubbing over the front of his jeans. "Every single one of the people in there seemed to be complimenting on how gorgeous of a couple her and that little doctor friend of hers were. Dr. Banks." He rolled his eyes. "Then when she'd be like no, Jackson is my fiance, they all looked disgusted by that fact. It just got me to thinking that maybe she'd be better off with someone like him and maybe one day she'll wake up and realize that I'm not giving her anything that she couldn't get herself."

The blonde shook her head as she moved to the swing and gently put her daughter in it before moving to the sofa and she sat down. "Listen to me carefully, ok? She doesn't want him, Brianna loves you with everything she is. She's so happy with you. You are her best friend, her love, her whole world. You are everything she needs. It's about materialistic items with her, she can handle all of that on her own. She wants your love and your adoration, she wants to be with you because you're you and she loves you."

"Yeah?" He gave her a single nod before looking at her again. "Sometimes, I just wanna give her all of that shit though Jacey. The houses, cars, rings, even those stupid ass purses she seems to pull out of nowhere. I can't do that though, I literally blew through my savings with her ring. I can't even offer to pay half of our wedding. Club money wasn't always good, I always made sure the guys got theirs before I did."

Jacey shook her head. "Jackson you have the money for all of that. What are you talking about? I know you do because I know what was left behind when your parents died, John left us a ton of money in our names. Gemma tried so hard to get her hands on it but couldn't gain access to it. Rose and Nate, when they died, the affairs were in our names and she couldn't touch it either. You and me, are so fucking rich, it's sickening. I just never touched any of it because it's not money I earned. But you should take it, invest. Flip it and make more, Jackson." She kissed his forehead. "You have plenty to blow on her and your kids plus mine and Nik's and Oakland itself."

"I don't even touch that money Jacey, I have never even thought about the money or the houses that were left to us. I like earning my money too. I'm not even sure what I would even invest it in. Put it into the porn or the strippers, make more money there." He shrugged. "Oh no, I don't plan on spoiling my kids and turning them into mini Bris or Monicas. I love those two to death but I kinda wanna raise them how we were raised, having to work for shit. I mean, you know how those two are, Monica is probably getting better with her spoiledness because you and Happy but when it comes to her and Bri or her with Elijah, it's just like nonstop gifts that she doesn't even need."

Jacey nodded her head and smiled. "It's yours so touch it, play with it, I don't care but put it to use. For the kids." She laughed a little. "I'd like to murder them both sometimes but I work with them on it."

"What do I do about the whole not being a doctor or a business mogul like Lucius or Alex? I'm an outlaw with a hand in porn and a strip club." He chuckled. "Bri and I really don't make any sense if you really sit and think about it. Like how are we even working?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing. You do nothing. You are who you are. You've been an outlaw your whole life. If Brianna had a problem, she wouldn't wait so long to speak up. But Jax, you have to talk to her about this. Honesty can get you everywhere. Just look at my train wreck of a relationship, huh?"

"I can't help it. I literally sometimes just look at Brianna and just wonder where'd she be at if I hadn't gotten another shot. Would her and I even talk? Would she just be friendly to me because I'm your brother? Would her Monica and Javier even have stayed in Oakland?" He shrugged. "It's so many questions and I want answers but then again I don't. I know that she loves me, I do know that. Your relationship is more than a trainwreck with Brianna."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I meant with Hap but thank you for clarifying that we are useless and shouldn't even be near each other anymore. I'm aware." She nodded slowly. "You know where to get those answers."

"I don't think you and Hap are a trainwreck." He shook his head. "I can't dump this shit on her, she's doing good with her therapy and I can't have her instantly thinking that I'm trying to get out of marrying her. You know her mind would go there."

Jacey nodded slowly as she looked back at her now whining daughter. "Your fault, fucker. We used to be, now we're amazing. I love him so much. You and Bri will get there, I promise. You just have to get out of your head about her. She loves you, wants you. Do you think she would've said something by now?"

"Bri and I had our little trainwreck moment. Pretty much left her when she told me she was pregnant with the twins Jacey. I don't even fucking know how I even got her to give me another chance. I was an asshole, I never really helped her with shit." He sighed. "You know why I all of a sudden changed my tune? Almost laid my bike down on the way home from a run, cleared shit right up for me, put my priorities in place, made me realize that I really can't see my life without her in it anymore. Her and her fucking antics, that stupid attitude she gets when she thinks she's tough but she's as soft as a kitten. I even like her stupid fucking mindset that she is the Queen of everyone and can just fire people that don't even work for her. I watched her get a cashier at Walmart fired. The guy was in shock over the shit, I was too. I don't know how you handled her and all of the personality she has when she's doing good."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders as she stood up and picked her daughter up. "I just took it one day at a time. I regulated her. She listened well." She smiled. "I know for a fact that she loves you more than life, ok? She'd never leave you unless there was good enough cause for it. You two are just right. She's perfect for you, keeps you in check. You're perfect for her, you're a good man to her. You're a good friend and she loves you."

"Okay, okay." He nodded slowly. "You wanna brainstorm with me on how we're going to kill off Lucius and Alex?"

Jacey laughed as she shook her head. "You're jealous of Lucius?! Why? Oh Jax, you're a mess. She doesn't want him. He's not her cup of tea, he's too condescending to her most of the time." She shrugged. "Alex though. They have a special little bond, she made him. He worships her, nothing too important. She much rather be with you."

"Yeah but that doesn't change the fact that she's slept with them both. Given, her and Alex were in some weird ass relationship." Jax shrugged. "Jacey! I can't help that I'm jealous and shit. I don't want to be because at the end of the day I know Bri is mine but still. Like don't you ever get jealous? Or should I go and talk to Happy about this? You probably don't even have to deal with this with him."

The blonde sighed. "Ok ok. No I don't have to deal with that. The most I have is what Bri knows about Hap that I don't. She has information that I never asked for and she knows a lot about him. But no, none of the jealousy. This may be a party to have with him." She frowned. "I'm sorry I can't really help you."

"That's because Brianna is nosey as fuck and wants to insert herself into everyone's lives. I also know that the file on Happy is in her office, bottom of her file cabinet under lock and key." He shook his head. "You've helped me, just by letting me vent to you and not judging me or anything Jacey J. I'm glad I can come and talk to you about shit."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "Don't ever, and I mean _ever_ , think you can't come to me, Jackson. We're as good as married too. Through everything, we are here for each other, we are always going to help each other, um duh." She smiled at him. "You best believe I'll be coming to you all upset and heartbroken when this adorable thing switches to bottles."

"She'll be with me." Jax laughed. "I'll even toss another seat in the Escalade for her."

Jacey groaned loudly, poking her lip out. "I don't know why she wants to grow up, it's not fun. She can stay my baby forever, my tiny sweet girl."

"She probably wants to grow up so she can give you hell." He smirked. "Look at her evil little grin she has going on."

Jacey looked down at the baby before she started laughing. "I am raising me. This is somehow your fault too. You're selfish." She shook her head before passing the baby to her brother. "Talk to him, babe."

"I still am selfish because I want a daughter of my own still." He chuckled. "I want a tiny Brianna of my own. I can't have that because for some reason, Brianna just isn't into her little fate thing anymore. Sariya said it wouldn't be a big deal to undo her procedure but she just doesn't want it."

Jacey shook her head. "She's just in a bad place, Jackie, gotta help her out of it. Maybe sneak your kids over here for a weekend and you two go away, enjoy some time away and just be with her against everything she says."

"I don't have to sneak them over here, well unless I'm surprising her with the trip." He laughed. "I wanna take her to this little beach house we went to on our one year anniversary."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know her stance on the kids seeing me or my kids. I don't know much about this except she doesn't wanna see me or dad." She shook her head.

"She's fine with the kids being around you and your kids." He nodded. "The only kid that will really be affected by this will be Ashtyn. She'll end up forgetting Brianna."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "Nope on my end, I tell her stories. She knows who Aunt Bri is, I talk to her about a lot. So if Ashtyn doesn't know Bri and know who she shares her birthday with then that will fall on Bri. I don't actually think she cares that much anyway."

"She cares a whole lot. I don't know what exactly was said between the two of you but I know she loves you and your kids to death." He nodded. "I just wish it didn't have to be this way between you guys. I wish there was another way."

Jacey shook her head again. "She's just uncomfortable with the fact that I am Kyla's daughter, no matter what I say. So she asked for space, I tried very hard not to react negatively so here we are. My kids don't think badly though, they just think Bri's working a lot. However, you should attempt that reunion with Cami since Bri left her life."

"Okay but Bri didn't leave her life at all. I don't think that's the real reasoning behind her needing space. She just never recovered from the trauma of being raped and shit. I don't know what she looked like when you guys pulled her out but it looked bad from what I saw when she finally came home." He shook his head. "Don't worry, i'll be bonding with her soon."

Jacey nodded her head. "It's a mix of things. She told us but you know me, I'm just heartbroken that I can't do anything for her."

"It kills me, knowing that I couldn't do shit for her. God, you don't know how many goddamn times I beat myself up for that shit. I swore it was something club related. I can't even imagine what Aleksandr is going through." Jax shook his head again. "I want it to be a thing, you know, me constantly protecting her but I can't keep her home all of the time and I can't be home all of the time. I did however, start taking the boys with me to the clubhouse more. Javier doesn't like going though, I guess Juice pissed him off the last time we were there."

Jacey shook her head. "I'm sure we are all in the same boat. I'm glad I have someone that understands, I love my husband to death but he doesn't get it at all and it sucks."

"Well, we just gotta look out for each other." He smiled. "Like old times. You and I, forever and always Jacey J."

She nodded her head and smiled. "You and me, huh? Plus our big broods. We have a lot of carry-on, huh?" She shrugged her shoulders. "You get your children calling me that and I'll rip your tongue out."

"Creed already does." Jax laughed. "Auntie Jacey J."

Jacey started laughing. "I hate you. Why did you even start that shit?"

"I don't know, I really don't know." he shrugged. "It just randomly happened."

The blonde shook her head as she ran a hand over Ashtyn's head. "Tell me she's not licking your face… Baby, stop that. He's not food. He probably smells terrible too."

"I smell good and I taste like heaven." He laughed. "Let her have her fun."

Jacey shook her head. "What'd you eat today? She's tasting something. You and her papa are just messy eaters, jesus. I'm embarrassed to be related to you two." She squeezed Ashtyn's tiny arm lightly. "Hey, hi, what are you doing?"

"I had barbecue, ribs, mac and cheese, potato salad and baked beans." he laughed. "She's probably tasting the sauce."

Jacey started laughing as she looked at her daughter again. "You are so much like me huh? You like it huh? He must've had a good lunch, maybe you can dream about it while you take in boring old milk." She smirked. "She loves you, Jax. So damn much."

"It was an amazing lunch." Jax nodded. "I love her to death too, just as if she were my own child."

Jacey shook her head. "Sorry, babe. Only my kids lick people's faces because they smell food." She laughed as she shrugged her shoulders. "Reminds me of her sister."

"I love her, she's coming home with me." He laughed. "My Ashtyn not _yours_."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "You'll bring her back in an hour when she's screaming her head off for me and food. I'll bet you on it." She smirked at her brother. "Bye babylove, I'll miss you. I may go nap, I miss naps."

"I can't just pop a bottle into her mouth?" He frowned. "The twins live for that milk Bri bought, has all the nutrients of real breast milk. She did so much research on it."

Jacey slowly shook her head. "Try it and watch. Bottles are her enemy. She's not a fan of them at all."

"Maybe she'll like it if she sees Mason and Noah drinking them." He laughed. "I think she's a fan of those two."

Jacey smiled at her daughter, nodding her head slowly. "He did, babe. She likes the twins a lot but nothing compares to Creed. He kisses her and cuddles her like it's nothing."

"That's my boy, he wants a sister too." Jax chuckled. "I do have another serious topic to bring up."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "No, Jackson, you cannot take my daughter home for good. She is mine, I worked hard for her. She's mine." She sighed heavily. "I hate to say no but no."

"Not that." He shook his head. "How do I get Creed to refer to Monica as his sister?"

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Well I don't know. How do you get the rest of the children to see dad and mom as their grandparents?"

"They don't, well Creed kinda does see Aleksandr as his grandpa. He just calls them whatever we do." He shrugged. "They pretty much go off Bri's vibes."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "One of these days I'm going to beat her ass for her sudden lack of respect for that man. He doesn't deserve her bullshit."

"She thinks what she thinks. I don't think it's a disrespect thing at all. I think we just can't simply relate because it's like she's tossing a giant temper tantrum." Jax shrugged. "It is what she's known for."

Jacey shook her head. "Do you know how bad I wanted to run away to _you_ when he told me? Not to tell you, just to be in the same place as you. It's always been me and you, against everything then my world gets flipped around."

"After you finally did tell me the news, I could appreciate it. I was happy for you, not having to share their DNA." He smiled at her. "If you would've come to me, I would've just cuddled you, like old times."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted to but I couldn't do so while you were helping Bri. The age old issue I always have, standing in someone else's way."

"She didn't even want help then. She went from making progress in therapy to claiming she was fine." He shrugged. "I would've listened, I would've taken care of you too."

She nodded her head. "Well now I'm here. I just want to be happy and make sure my entire family is happy. I'm missing a member or two but I hope time will fix that because I sure as hell can't."

"Time will." He nodded. "You don't have to worry too much."

Jacey nodded her head. "And what about you? Huh?"

"No, still gonna worry a little bit about getting dumped and still gonna worry a lot about you and her coming back together." He shrugged. "But I'm your big brother, I'm supposed to be the one who worries."

Jacey kissed Jax's head. "Go upstairs and lay down in the nursery, you look like you're about to pass out. Take off the shoes first. You know my damn rules."

"They are fresh Nikes, straight out of the box this morning." He chuckled before standing up slowly. "I am gonna pass out, long night and these baby cuddles aren't helping the cause at all."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Your fresh Nikes straight out of the box can sit down here. No shoes on my carpets, Jackson. Not when I have a baby that will soon be crawling and probably licking that carpet."

"Yes Jacey J." He pulled off his shoes. "I hope she doesn't lick the carpet though but Noah did when he started crawling. Now they're just walking and trying to run everywhere. They're still not used to running or walking in the kitchen. They slip and slide when they have socks on, giggling the whole damn time. They get pissed when I remove their socks."

Jacey smiled as she stood up. "She's a goofball, a fat one at that plus she's a huge fan of the twins so I wouldn't be entirely surprised. Kol licked the studio floor because it used to be that cool flooring. He loved it until Happy told him no in that mean dad voice he randomly gets." She laughed and nodded. "Excuse me, I did that. I'd slide right into JT all the time and he just loved it."

"They love that shit, it's a shame. Noah already got his first set of stitches because of it. He hit his head hard but he got up like it was nothing. Bri was the one that was freaking out and told me to call a _doctor_." He shook his head and laughed. "He's fine though, no concussion or anything."

Jacey started laughing again. "Jesus, that's so my kid right there. Alright go lay down. I'll still come talk to you but she's out like a light. The girl lives for good naps when no one puts her down." She smiled.

"Take my phone out of my pocket, make sure it's on vibrate, I don't wanna risk waking her up when I go lay in her nursery with her." He smiled. "I can't be rude to her like that."

Jacey nodded her head slowly as she did as she was told. "You're such a little softy to her, oh my god." She shook her head. "You never treat me like that."

"I didn't have a phone back then." He laughed. "Look through my gallery, the twins got their first haircuts, well Mase got a haircut. Noah swung on his barber."

Jacey laughed as she sat down in the glider in the corner of the nursery. "Kol did too then he cried for Hap so I let the boy go." She shrugged. "I love the twins so much."

"Same, I asked Creed if he wants a haircut, he hit me with a 'no Jackson, I don't, do you want a haircut'." He shook his head as he laid down on the daybed. "Creed has your sass, that's for sure."

She smirked as she nodded her head. "That boy makes me proud as hell, I love Creed. He's my love damn it."

"He's perfect." He laughed. "His hair is going to be longer than yours soon. Bri has him walking around with it all wild, she's afraid if she braids it, he'll look like a girl or something."

Jacey shook her head. "Bring me my twin, I miss him so much. Be careful with laughing, if she's curled up like she does."

"I'll bring him over later." He nodded. "You can do something with his hair. I just had him some reaper crew and Sons hat made so he can walk around like me."

The blonde laughed and nodded her head slowly as she yawned. "Shit. You're both doing this to me."

"Give into it, nap. You deserve a nap." He smiled at his sister. "Take advantage."

Jacey shook her head. "I have two other kids though, the house needs to be cleaned. So much to be done."

"I can handle three kids." Jax shrugged. "Trust me."

Jacey shook her head. "Not if you're knocked out. Find Dmitri and make him help you."

"I am not going to fall asleep since you are." He shrugged again. "I'll be fine, Dmitri and I got this."

Jacey shook her head. "Dmitri has got them. You can't fight her. I texted Igor, he's taking them to their Papa's. Cami will be excited. Now let Ashtyn knock you out…"

"Fine, fine." He nodded slowly. "Ill let her take me."

She smiled and nodded her head. "You'll wake up a new man, it's good for the soul."

"Remind me to show you my new tattoo before I leave." He smiled. "I'm going to need Ashtyn to always put me down for a nap."

Jacey waved the man off and smiled. "You won't be leaving any time soon. You'll be out for a while, she's just now bunching up and you love to have your head rubbed."

"If you still have my phone, text Brianna and tell her I'll be home by dinner." He mumbled before he yawned. "Just pretend to be me."

She shook her head again. "You need the nap, hush Jackson. Stop fighting. I know you miss me, I'll still be by your side when you both wake up."

"I'm not fighting it, I just need her to know. I kinda told her this wouldn't take more than an hour." He yawned again before closing his eyes. "I'll see you on the flip side then Jacey J. Love you."

Jacey nodded her head. "She has been texted. Now go to sleep, I love you too sunshine." She smiled as she stood up and draped a blanket over Jax before draping Ashtyn's blanket over the baby girl. "Sleep."

 **July 7, 2015**

Monica frowned as she looked over her collection of cameras that were currently sitting on the floor of her bedroom. It was a steadily growing collection but now she was in a bind. She wanted to help her boyfriend Nick out. He needed cash and he needed it fast. She knew it wasn't her place and she shouldn't even thinking about this. She was still a kid but she knew when it came down to it, she had to help the person she cared about. She had seen her mom do the same thing time and time again. "Okay, okay. Which one of you can I part with?"

"None." Javier slid from underneath the bed and laughed. "Monica, you with one less camera is a bad thing. Mom will pop you! Elijah will pop you! Your dad and Jacey will pop you! I have a question for you okay?"

"Why are you in my room?" She shook her head as she looked at her little brother. "What's your question huh?"

"How can you be my sister and Camryn's sister? Why is her dad your dad but my dad isn't your dad?" He rubbed his forehead and frowned. "Is Camryn my sister too since you're my sister?"

Monica sighed as she looked at her brother and laughed. "I'll tell you a secret. I'm not actually related to Camryn. You know how mom and Jacey say they're sisters but they aren't really sisters? It's like that. Also, I told you this before. Happy isn't the dad who helped make me with mom. He's just the dad that found me and took me in as his. He didn't become my dad until I was like six or seven. It's all complicated, it'll get easier to understand when you're older. I promise you that much."

"How come he wanted to be your dad?" Javier moved to Monica and wrapped his arms around her. "What happened to your other dad then?"

"I don't know, he just thought I was the cutest little thing ever and wanted to be my dad. I wanted him to be my dad because he took care of me and he taught me so many things. He taught me how to tie my shoes and color inside the lines of my coloring books." She hugged him back and smiled. "He's gone, I guess he's in heaven or something. He died when I was a baby so I really don't know about him. Except that I have his eyes. See, that's a picture of him and mom. I got his green eyes but mine are more green and bigger."

"I don't see why he thought that." He giggled as he moved away from the brunette, dodging her hits. "You're not all that cute or anything. You're kinda icky! I love you though Mo Mo. Your dad looks so mean! He looks like he's going to eat mom's face off! You're a face eating alien huh!? I knew it! I knew it! I gotta tell Cam so we can prepare to defeat you and your alien family!"

"I know where you sleep." She smirked at him before inching closer to him. "I don't think your bedroom door locks either Javier. Mmm, your face looks so delicious too. I can grill it up a bit, toss it in some sauce and I'll have a lovely dinner."

"No! Monica, you wouldn't do that! I need my face!" He shook his head as he moved closer to the door, his hands on his face as he peeked between his fingers at the brunette. "You can't eat my face! Camryn will hunt you down and beat you up for hurting her Javi Baby!"

"Hmm, I'll think about it." Monica shrugged as she took a seat on her bed and crossed her legs, her green eyes on her black painted nails. "If you bring me one of mom's red velvet cookies and one of those little bottles of milk, then I won't have to eat your face off because I'll be full."

"Deal." Javier nodded eagerly before being lifted off the ground. "Hey! Put me down right now!"

"Don't think so." Brianna kissed his face and smiled. "What are you in here bugging your sister for? Huh?"

"I was asking her questions and stuff, also giving her solid advice." He chuckled and shook his head. "Mom, you gotta put me down. You can't carry around the man of the house. I'm checking in on everyone. Making sure you don't set the oven on fire _again_."

"Well, my little man of the house, it's time for you to eat your lunch. It's in the kitchen with Creed and the twins. I gotta talk to your sister for a little bit, so go on down and eat. Okay?" She set him back to his feet and smiled. "I made your favorite."

"Okay." Javier smiled. "I'm going to eat lunch, you two better be down in fifteen minutes or I'm coming back up here to bug you. Got it ladies? Mom, be careful, she's a face eating alien, just like her dad in the picture."

"Face eating alien huh?" Bri smiled at her daughter before laying across the bed and yawning. "I'm glad you're over here. I missed having you around. I know this isn't your most favorite place to be these days but still I love having you around. My heart feels all complete and yes, I'm being dramatic because you're literally next door."

Monica nodded slowly as she cuddled up against her mom and smiled. "I don't mind being here. I like being here when I wanna feel independent and grown up. Speaking of grown and stuff. I think Nick is in trouble and needs money or something. He said his parents kicked him out, so I was going to sell a camera and give him the cash. I can't sell my camera or anything though. I love them all too much."

"Already trying to save your boyfriend?" She shook her head and shrugged. "Let me take care of this though. It's a grown up situation. I'll talk to him and then to his parents, see what's happening. I don't want you getting involved in his mess. You hear me Monica Elizaveta? I don't want you getting into trouble. I know your dad would wring your neck."

"I hear you mom. I don't wanna save him or anything like that. Just help him a bit. We haven't really been talking much lately. We're actually pretty much broken up or whatever. He's been posting pictures with some mousy looking brunette named _Faye_." Monica scrunched up her face and rolled her eyes. "Yet, I still want to help him out. I'm such a bleeding heart."

"Aw, my baby." Brianna shook her head, pulling her daughter closer before kissing her temple. "How are you feeling about the break up? I understand that shit. Even when Juice broke my heart and continued to upset me, I still looked out for him, still wanted to make sure he was safe. Still do that shit. It's like something about first love that never really dies. It's a weird thing for sure. I'm here for you though my love."

She sighed before rolling over to look at her mom. "I'm alright, I just couldn't be at dad's because he didn't like Nick anyways and would probably say 'told you so' or something like that. I just want hugs and love."

"I'll give you lots of hugs and love. We don't have to mention any of this to your dad either. It'll stay between us and whoever else you choose to tell. I love you so much Monica. I know this is going to be annoying to hear because I hated hearing it as well but there is someone who is perfect for you out there. You just gotta wait it out. I mean, we hate waiting but look at me. I stopped trying to change fate and simply embraced it and she brought me Jackson." She laughed. "I can't say that I saw that coming whatsoever."

Monica nodded slowly as she touched her mom's face and smiled. "I knew you'd end up with him. Also, can you teach me how to do this wing eyeliner? I think a little eyeliner will make my eyes pop."

"How'd you know that? Don't tell me you're psychic." Bri nodded her head slowly, studying her daughter's face before smiling. "I agree, I think it'll make your eyes look even bigger and more green. We'll go to the mall later, I'll get you your own makeup kit going. I think you're old enough for a little eyeliner, mascara and some lipstick. It'll be like you're six all over. You used to just let me put all of that on you and Happy would be so annoyed by it."

"Because I pay attention." She chuckled as she sat up. "Really? You'll let me finally get the good makeup?"

"Yes, you can finally get the good makeup." Bri hugged her daughter and grinned. "It'll be a fun trip. I need the retail therapy anyways. You can never go wrong with a shopping trip. Remember that babe."

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"Monica, what are you wearing?" Jax looked at the brunette and shook his head slowly. "It's like a hundred degrees outside. Why are you in a fur jacket?"

Monica looked at the man before sighing as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's for a lookbook Jax. I'm preparing looks for fall and winter. You know how fashion works? You do bikini shoots in the winter and winter shoots in the summer. I'm planning ahead. This is also a vintage fur jacket. Mom and I found it at a cute little consignment store when we were doing retail therapy earlier."

"I will never begin to understand the working of a teenager's mind." He shook his head again. "So, are you becoming a model or something?"

"No, no." She shook her head. "I just really like self portraits and fashion. It's mostly for me to look back on but I do have some followers who love my look. You would do well if you didn't always wear flannels or those hoodies all of the time. You can't judge me for wearing fur in the summer when you ride around in all black and leather. That's way more damaging than fur is."

"I do that for _protection_ not as a fashion statement." He rolled his eyes. "The last thing I want is to lay my bike down and go skidding across the asphalt and take off the few top layers of skin I have."

"Good because it'd make a horrible fashion statement. I do suppose lumberjack chic is a thing, up in like Washington and Oregon." Monica smiled. "You know how you're marrying my mom and all of that good stuff?"

"Yes, I know about that. What's up? You having second thoughts about it? You wanna take your blessing away?" He eyed her carefully. "I really love her-."

"Let me stop you right there." She waved him off as she set her camera down on the table. "Listen, I am not taking away my blessing. I wouldn't do that to you or to her. I'm just going to thank you for like making her happy and taking care of her. I know she's having some type of existential life crisis right now. She pushed Aleksandr out, she pushed Jacey out. Like, she's going through some things and I know you've been there for her. So like good job and keep taking care of her because one day I'll have to go off to like college or on a tour for my best selling photography book and I'll need to know that she's in good hands. That's why I don't have issues with being next door because I know you're taking good care of her, so I don't have to worry about her or anything. My mom is my number one best friend. I love her to death. I do."

"I'll always take care of her Monica. You never have to worry about me not doing that." Jax nodded slowly. "I can tell you that she's going to come through this. She just wants to do it on her own, without depending on Jacey or Aleksandr."

"Good." Monica smiled as she picked up her camera. "I'm inviting you to a special tea party this weekend. Be there or else. Alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be there." He smiled at her. "Good luck with the lookbook. I hope all of your followers love it a lot."

* * *

 **So sorry for the delayed update. I've been sick and I've been working. I've also been reworking some things. I have a very special ending for you guys planned. So, I hope you enjoyed this long and lovely update.**


	92. Thirteen

**August 3, 2015**

"It's my baby's birthday!" Brianna smiled brightly as she wrapped Monica up in a hug, peppering the girl's face with kisses. "You're finally thirteen and a teenager. I love you so much." She squeezed her tightly and trailed her fingers through her hair. "How are you so calm right now baby? We have so much fun stuff planned for the day."

"Mom." Monica laughed as she hugged her mom back before pulling away. "It is seven in the morning, I am still half asleep."

"I couldn't help myself, I was going to be in here at the exact time you were born but I was warned against that." She chuckled as she kissed her daughter's temple and sighed. "I can't believe I'm a mother to a teenager. Time has gone by so damn fast. The next time I look away you may just turn eighteen and move out on me baby girl."

"Cuddle me." Monica nodded slowly as she draped her blankets over her mom and curled up. "I just want a few more hours of sleep, then the day can actually begin. We can have breakfast at that little cafe you and I love so much. The one with the giant chocolate croissants."

"I can do that." Bri pulled her daughter against her and smiled. "A few more hours of sleep then we can do what we have planned. I love you Monkey."

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"So, how was the trip with your dad? I've been waiting for you to let me know about it." Bri smiled as she plastered butter on her croissant. "Come on, give me more than a few words too Monica."

"It was really awesome." Monica smiled as she pointed to the necklace around her neck. "Look at it, he got me this awesome necklace, he got me a camera and we really just got to hang out and talk to each other like I was the only child. It was cool mom. I didn't want to leave and I didn't want to go back to being the oldest child. I like when I'm treated like the only child again."

"That's a gorgeous necklace." She nodded slowly before smiling again. "I know you love being treated like the only child. I'm the same way with my dad. I like to be the only one getting his love and attention as bratty as that may sound but it's nice when the focus is simply on you and you get to open up and not have to worry about being interrupted."

Monica touched her necklace and nodded. "Dad did good with the weekend trip. He let me ride on the back of his Dyna! Mom, I didn't want to leave at all." She smiled before taking a bite of her mom's croissant. "I can't wait to see what we're going to get into. Since it's just you and me!"

"We're going to go some normal things that you've wanted to do but I told you that you were too young for." She smiled at her daughter before taking a sip of her coffee. "The spa, you're old enough for that gold facial treatment that you wanted a few years ago. I was thinking that if you wanted to try something new with your hair, like a colored streak or something we can do that as well. What'd you say about it a few months ago? _Mom purple streaks would just take me and push me over the edge of being a true artist._ "

"I can really do the bottom of my hair purple!?" She smiled widely at her mom and nodded eagerly. "I want that a whole lot mom!"

"Yes you can." Bri laughed. "You're the one causing a scene for us now. Look at you, drawing in all of the attention of this cafe." She reached over, tucking her daughter's hair behind her ears. "I love you a lot and I'm sorry I don't make this a weekly thing but I'm trying to get better at us just being on our own and away from your billions of siblings. I want you to know that I never forget about you, I just have a habit of treating you like you're an adult because that's how I was treated when I was your age."

Monica nodded slowly. "It's alright mom, I get it. I also know that I'm still your favorite and that you love me to death. I don't mind being treated like an adult sometimes, like today. It's fun. I have coffee and I get to be pampered. Sometimes though, I wanna be treated like a kid and have less responsibilities."

"So, what I'm hearing is that you want the perks of being an adult but the carefree side of being a child. You want to be spoiled but you don't want to have to clean your own room?" Bri shook her head. "Sounds about right, that's what I wanted at thirteen. I'd go to get my nails and hair done then I'd come home and act like a child so Aleksandr wouldn't ask me to do anything. He'd just do it for me and then I'd get in some trouble."

"Pretty much." The teen smirked. "Sometimes dad cleans my room for me and takes out my trash. It's nice but other times I'll do it because I don't want to get in trouble or anything. He told me, when I finish college, he'll build me a beach house of my own, so I can't lose that opportunity."

"Smart girl." Bri smiled. "I think you're more and more like your aunts and less like me. I mean don't get me wrong, I love the beach and I love spending time on the coast but they take it to a whole new level. You're more of their kid sometimes than mine and I'm good with that. You've got a lot of amazing women to look up to and be inspired by. All of us with different careers and passions in life. I wish I had that when I was your age. My mom was just a stay at home wife, can't say mom because she really didn't take care of us, my grandma, she was the baker, so that's where I get my baking from, I had my dad's mistress, she was a model. I really didn't look up to any woman until I started my residency and met Sariya, she was Russian, strong and was a fucking boss and helped me break through the barriers of being a cosmetic surgeon because it was a boys' club at the hospital I was at."

"I didn't know you knew grandma when you were younger." Monica shook her head. "Was she always a softy though? You know how she is with us kids? I'm sorry your mom didn't take care of you or anything."

Bri laughed. "You make me sound ancient but yes she had her soft moments but she's always hard on me because she expects me to do more than I do. Sometimes I half ass it and it upsets her because I'm not using my full potential. It's alright, it made me want to take care of you guys. So, I hope I'm doing a good job at it because I don't want you guys to get older and then feel like I didn't take care of you at all."

"I feel the same way." Monica nodded slowly. "You're not using your full potential anymore mom. What happened to the mom that would boss everyone around and tell them that they're not doing what they're supposed to do and that if they don't shape up you'll have their asses?"

"First of all, that part of me is still alive and well. Secondly, hush today is about you not me." Bri laughed as she stood up and stretched. "This cafe reminds me of the one I met your blonde mom in. Well, ran into her and got punched in."

"You just called her my blonde mom." Monica laughed as she wrapped her arms around her mom and tried to lift her up. "Man, I need to start hitting the gym."

"You're too young to hit the gym. If you start that nonsense you won't get tits and you'll have to buy them because working out making your boobs smaller. Believe me, I'm a doctor and know these things. Why do you think you see female bodybuilders with wonky tits? They had to buy them and their chest muscles are just tight and awkward. Like don't do it to yourself, so don't hit the gym, just do yoga or something." Bri lifted up Monica and kissed her forehead. "My little Monkey, I love you so much."

"See, you're like this walking encyclopedia of facts mom." She shook her head as she rested her forehead against her mom's. "Let's hit the spa. What are we doing with the family later? I know you have to have a dinner planned at least because it wouldn't be a thing if you didn't have a dinner or small party planned."

"You have to wait and see my darling." Bri chuckled as she set her daughter down to her feet. "Now, I'm the one causing a scene. Let's go, I want that gold facial thing too. I can stand to look thirteen again, even if it's only for fifteen minutes."

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 **.**

"Are you sure she's going to like this present?" Jax looked up from the box and at Bri before looking back down. "I don't want to be the parent that gives lame ass gifts."

"She's going to love it." Bri nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kicced him. "She's thirteen, she's a girl, she's my daughter. She's going to love those earrings, little cameras with diamonds for lenses? Yes, she'll love them. Stop overthinking it."

"Okay good." He nodded slowly before smiling at the brunette. "How was your day with her? I saw that huge ass goofy smile you were wearing when you got home. It was still there when you two crawled into bed and fell asleep talking."

"It was _amazing_." She smiled brightly, her eyes twinkling in the light. "We talked, we bonded, we got to know each other and our new likes and hobbies. It felt like a good time. Mother and daughter bonding, then we became like best friends too. She was telling me about all of these plans of where she wants to open up her business and how she wants to travel. Like, I'm super proud of her. She's killing it at life and I'm so in love with her for that."

"So, let me guess, you want to gift her the space for her business?" He smiled at her before kissing her lips. "I'm happy that you and her have been enjoying yourselves. I think this chill night in will be a surprise for her. She probably expects some over the top party."

"I was going to but I reached out to Happy and I think him and Jacey are trying to secure the space for her." She grinned. "She'll love it. I listened to her this time. She didn't want some huge party, she wanted a low key night but I did buy her a lot of presents."

"Mom." Javier walked into the kitchen and stopped. "I gave Mo her present and she attacked me with hugs and kisses, now I need a cootie shot please."

"Oh did she now?" Bri laughed as she lifted her son up and set him on the counter. "She attacked you with hugs and kisses and you don't want sister cooties?" She rolled up the sleeve of his shirt before pausing and moving to the sink. "I gotta wash my hands for this. Are you ready for this shot my dear?"

"Yes mom." He nodded his head slowly. "Do it quickly before I lose my manliness."

She smiled as she held his arm loosely in her hands. "Circle, circle, dot, dot not you got your cootie shot. Circle, circle, square, square now you have it everywhere. Circle, circle, knife, knife now you got it for life. There you are my love. You're all protected. No cooties for you."

"Love you." Javier nodded before kissing his mom's chin. "It didn't even hurt."

"I pride myself on good bedside manor." Bri set Javier to his feet and smiled. "Now, round up the troops. It's time for dinner and singing happy birthday to your sister."

Jax laughed as he hopped onto the counter and rolled up his sleeve. "I need a cootie shot too. My fiance is too kissy and lovey. Always kissing on me and shit. I don't wanna catch her icky ass cooties!"

"You love my cooties." She laughed and shook her head as she heard the doorbell. "Are you expecting visitors?"

"No." Jax shook his head as he slid off of the counter before moving out of the kitchen and towards the foyer, looking at the camera before pulling open the door. "Opie! What are you doing here man?"

Opie chuckled as he walked into the house, Lyla and their kids behind him. "You said for me to stop by today. You said the wife was cooking dinner."

"Oh yeah." He rubbed the back of his head, smiling before trying to shut the door before Chibs and Tig walked in. "You bring the whole table?"

"Jackie Boy!" Chibs smiled at Jax. "Glad you could have us for dinner!"

"Oh. My. God." Monica walked into the entryway before shaking her head. "You invited the club here for my birthday dinner?"

"Birthday!?" Tig moved towards Monica and picked her up. "You're like what? Seven now?"

"Thirteen." She shook her head as she freed herself from the man's arms. "Oh, Jackson. I'm so telling my dad that you invited all of the guys over except for him!"

"Chibs!" Javier smiled at the man. "What're you doing at my house huh?"

"Baby Juicy Boy." Chibs smiled down at Javier. "We've come for dinner! You think there's enough food and liquor for the lot of us?"

"Yeah!" Javier nodded eagerly. "Mom! We have guests! My Chibs is here!"

"Oh," Brianna looked at the guests before smiling. "Um, luckily I cook like I am feeding an army. I hope you guys love Italian food because that's what I've cooked for Monica's birthday dinner. At her request."

"I brought you a bottle of wine." Lyla smiled at Brianna before passing her the bottle. "I thought you'd be a white wine kind of girl."

"Thank you." Bri smiled. "I don't drink but I'll put it on ice so I can serve it to the rest of the guests."

"I didn't know." Lyla shook her head and frowned. "I'm so sorry."

"You're fine." She waved the blonde off. "Now you know for any future dinners. You can take it back home with you if you want to. I have an extensive wine collection in the cellar. I don't really know why I keep it. I was always more of a vodka type of girl. Russian and all."

"Hey Russia." Tig slung his arm around Bri's waist and smiled down at her. "Nice of you to let us crash your dinner."

Bri nodded slowly before looking at Jax who was caught up in a conversation with Opie and Chibs before she looked back at Tig. "No problem. I'm glad you all are finally around again. Can't wait for the wedding, this is like a little preview."

"Oh yeah, you are marrying Jax." Tig nodded slowly. "That's too bad, you and I could've had some cute stunning eyed children."

"If only we would've met first." She chuckled. "Continue to mingle, take it into the living room or family room. No need to just stand in the foyer."

"Oh! Look at Jax, so fancy that he has a living room _and_ a family room." Opie laughed. "Show us the entire house. I don't think I've ever gotten a tour. Kenny, Ellie and Piper go with Monica, I'm sure she has some cool things to show you."

"Punk." Jax laughed as he shut and locked the front door. "I'll give you a tour of the house. Come on."

"So, it's your birthday?" Opie looked down at Monica before passing her a twenty dollar bill. "Don't spend it all in one place."

"Thank you." Monica nodded as she pocketed the bill and smile. "I'll try not to, I can't make any promises. I'll probably buy food with it."

"I'd do the same." Opie nodded and chuckled. "Happy birthday."

"Food is life." Monica laughed as she tied her hair up in a topknot and shrugged. "Come on you three. I'll show you the house and cool stuff. The best part is the treehouse out back."

"Keep them out of trouble." Jax smiled at Monica. "No showing them what's beyond the property line."

"Oh, so you don't want me to show them the abandoned makeshift graveyard?" Monica shook her head slowly. "Well that's no fun at all."

"She's joking." Jax looked at Lyla. "There's not really a graveyard out back but we did find bones one day, turned out to be the bones of a deceased dog."

"Cold beers for everyone, Jameson for the Scotsman." Brianna smiled as she carried a tray of drinks into the living room. "Lovely white wine for the lady. So, how has everyone's days been?"

"Making small talk are ya?" Chibs looked at Brianna and took the drink from the tray. "For someone who doesn't drink you do keep a lot of liquor and alcohol on hand."

The brunette shrugged her shoulders as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "I host a lot of people like suits who drink like crazy. So, I have to keep their preferred beverages on hand. It's part of being a great host."

"I have a question, what do the suits even do?" Lyla looked at Bri. "Are they like glorified bodyguards?"

"Oh no, no." She shook her head. "They're glorified babysitters." She chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "They're actually family, they are around running my gun business for me. They're businessmen but they do the whole bodyguard thing as well. It's very lovely."

"Then why are they all with Jacey if they run _your_ business?" The blonde furrowed her brow. "I don't understand that."

"Because they're her family too. They care about her kids and want to be in their lives. The ones with Jacey don't actually work for me anymore. They're retired. I have different ones helping with the business. Elijah, Anthony and some suits under them. The head boss is my dad Aleksandr. He makes sure everything runs smoothly so I can focus on my children and doing things like making a big dinner for my daughter's thirteenth birthday."

"The suits are so cool." Javier nodded eagerly. "They're like you guys but they drive cars instead of Harleys!"

"That's pushing it to the limit." Monica walked back into the living room. "I lost the kids to the treehouse, couldn't get them to come back down after they saw the video games." She shrugged as she sat on her mom's lap and smiled. "This was an interesting turn to my birthday. So, what do you each do for the club?"

"No questions, let's just have fun." Tig smiled at Monica. "You sure you're her kid? You're starting to look more like a mix of Jacey and Happy."

"I thought you said no questions?" She shook her head slowly. "I'm her kid though."

"I'm going to get the table set and the food laid out." Bri helped Monica to her feet before standing. "Give me five minutes then come into the dining room."

"I'll help." Lyla stood up, following the pair of brunettes towards the dining room. "This house is amazing. I love it so much."

"Thank you." Bri nodded slowly as she passed Lyla a stack of plates. "So, you and Opie huh? How's it being a stepmom?"

"It has it's ups and downs. Sometimes they listen to me and other times not so much." Lyla chuckled as she started to place the plates onto the table. "How's it being the almost wife of the club's president?"

Bri shrugged. "Oh you know, it's quite lovely. He checks the club shit at the door before he comes in and it works for us. Sometimes he'll talk about it. Him and the club have come a long way since the first time I met them all. I don't have to go into a panic over him leaving these days since everything is all legal."

"Is it true that you're a porn star?" Monica looked Lyla up and down. "You look as young as I do."

"Uh, I am." The blonde blushed slightly as she chuckled. "It's a niche in the porn world, being of age but looking barely legal."

"Interesting." Monica nodded slowly before smiling. "Is it fun?"

"Okay, get any thoughts of that out of your mind right now." Bri looked at her daughter. "Photography empire, remember?"

"Hey," Monica shook her head. "I'm asking because I think it's cool to have an unconventional career. I have that women and careers photo series going. I've done you already mom, Nik too because she went from stripping to owning a huge ass strip club chain and now I have the opportunity to interview and get to know a porn star."

"It's fine." Lyla looked at Bri and smiled. "I'm open to answering her questions." She finished with the plates and took a step back to admire the food that was laid out. "That's a whole lot of food, you cooked it all yourself? It reminds me of something Gemma would do."

"Well, I enjoy cooking for my family." Bri nodded slowly as she pointed to the dessert bar. "I however am better with the whole baking thing." She smiled as she watched everyone start to take their seats. "I don't do prayers or anything, so just sit down and help yourselves. Except for Javi and Creed, I will make your plates."

"It is amazing." Opie looked at Brianna and smiled. "Way better than the Italian Gemma used to make. No offense Jax."

"None taken." Jax chuckled as he lifted Noah and Mason up, settling them on his lap. "This looks amazing babe."

"Thank you." Bri nodded slowly as she took her seat beside Jax and smiled. "Um, I guess I want to thank you all for showing up and joining us for Monica's birthday dinner. It feels nice to have the rest of the family with us. We need to make it happen more often."

"Since most of you didn't know it was my birthday, I will take cash in place of actual presents. So far only Opie has gifted me something." Monica laughed as she looked at the rest of the guys. "Remember who my dad is…"

"She's extorting money from us." Tig shook his head as he loaded up his plate. "Typical woman. Bobby she's giving you flashbacks huh? Reminding you of your ex-wife right now?"

Bobby laughed and nodded. "Yup, all the terrible flashbacks." He passed Monica a fifty and smiled. "Happy birthday, no need to sic your dad on me."

"Thank you." Monica smiled as she took a bite of the pasta. "This is really good mom."

"I have a present for you." Jax looked at Monica before passing her a box. "I thought I'd give it to you now since you're demanding presents." He chuckled. "I hope you like it."

"Thank you Jax." Monica nodded as she opened the box and gasped. "Are you serious? Camera earrings with diamonds for lenses? I've been wanting these since I saw them in the jewelry store but I was saving up to buy them on my own and when I went back last week they were gone! I love them Jax. thank you so much."

"Look at you being a good step dad Jackie Boy." Chibs smacked Jax on the back and whistled. "I may have to try to infiltrate this house if the food is always this good."

Brianna nodded slowly before looking around the table and smiling. "Like I said, thank you for coming tonight and we will make this happen again in the future. It's kinda nice to have all of you here. I can't wait to see the mess we all are in about three hours when all of your drinks hit."

* * *

 **You guys, I know I've sucked with updating but if it's not one thing it's another. If you didn't know, I suffer with depression, so sometimes it just drains me and leaves me with no energy to do anything. I'm trying to work through it while putting out quality chapters for this story.**

 **I also have been reading the comments and I appreciate them so much. I know this is a story that has a good fanbase. Some of you are quiet but continue to put up with me and the nonsense I produce. I love the ones who look forward to updates and think I'm a great writer, it means a lot to me. So, I'm excited to say that there is going to be more to the story. When I hit 100 chapters this story will end. I want to do a sequel that jumps a little bit into the future with the kids. Or if it'll be better for you all, I can continue this particular story and just push it a few years into the future with the twins talking and causing hell, Creed being a brooding little Teller, Javier being even more into dinosaurs and Monica being a moodier teenager.**

 **I just want to know where you guys are all with this. I do want to make all of us happy. I also have to say that even thought my characters did play a part over in TE, that the stories are kind of going in separate directions as you can probably tell. I don't know, just PM me on here, reach out to me on tumblr, or even through the comments about thoughts and concerns. If needed you can always reach me at fairytellerxo on kik.**


	93. Author's Note

**this is an author's note:**

 **I wanted to clear some things up before I post the next update, this story is no longer ending at 100 chapters. I've decided to just continue on with it instead of creating an entire second story. It makes more sense to do it this way and this is what you all want. With that being said, I have a couple of questions for you all: Would you like to explore more of Nik Anthony and their dynamic with their children? Would you like more of the family (Bri, Jax the kids) interacting more with the club? Would you be interested in more fluff? More smut? More drama? I want to know what you guys would enjoy, I personally enjoy fluff but I'm all about some great smut and drama as well. I just want to interact more with you all. Overall what would you like to see, I'm curious to know where you want the story to go.**

 **There are also a few huge events coming up, the next 2 chapters will be a part 12 of the twins first birthday. Then we do have Nikola Anthony's wedding finally. That's all going to be fun. Then it'll sort of melt into some holiday shenanigans. I'm thinking the _ENTIRE_ family and the club at a nice Thanksgiving dinner, followed by Brianna Jackson's wedding, then, of course, we're going to need a chapter of Christmas shenanigans. **

**One last question, I know there are readers who have been with be since day one, I'm talking about when Brianna Happy was a couple, or since when Dasha went crazy and set Happy's bike on fire lol I was wondering if any of you would be interested in reading one-shots about any of the original couples, current couples and even chapters that didn't make the cut for updates. I have so much material and I would hate to have it all go to waste when I could possibly share it with all of you. So let me know.**

 **I also thought I'd take a moment and make an OC FC list in case none of you have ventured over to my blog but are curious as to who are the FCs of your favorite OCs.**

 **Brianna - Yuliya Snigir**

 **Nikola - Dasha Shashina**

 **Anthony - Anthony L. Fernandez**

 **Aleksandr - Liev Schreiber**

 **Sariya - Kate Beckinsale**

 **Monica - Ryan Newman**

 **I think those are all of the important people. Let me know if you want/need to know FCs of any other character whether they are major or minor.**

 **IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR, I LOVE YOU AND THE CHAPTER WILL BE POSTED BY TOMORROW EVENING, 6 PM PST.**


	94. It Can & Will Go Wrong

**August 19, 2015**

"No, no, no!" Noah screamed as he wiggled and wiggled, trying with all of his might to free himself from his dad's arms. It was bathtime and he wasn't enjoying it at all. "No! No!" He shouted before his fists went to his eyes, rubbing them violently as his protests turned into choked sobs. "No!"

Jax shook his head slowly, realizing that Brianna was right when she told him to follow the schedule she had left for them before taking off to run errands. He looked at the clock before looking down at his son. He was four hours behind schedule. They slept in and now nap time had to be swapped for bath time before he got his head bit off by the brunette. "Come on Noah, you gotta take a bath then you can go to sleep."

"Just put him to sleep." Monica looked at the pair before letting her eyes fall back onto her camera's screen. "Mom won't care about it, she won't even know either. Say they got dirty during playtime and lunch. Then you can just give them baths before bed." She glanced back up at him and smiled. "You're welcome."

"Thanks." He nodded slowly before turning off the water and lifting Mason from his chair. "Baths before bed. Naps now." He sighed as he rubbed Noah's back, feeling the baby boy start to calm down as he moved into the bedroom, laying the twins down on the bed before covering them with their favorite blanket. "What are you doing here, I thought you'd be at your dad's?"

The brunette shrugged. "I came to pick up a dress from my room. I got invited to a really cool young photographer's party. It's at that one arts high school."

"That's cool. I appreciate the help." Jax smiled. "I thought I was going to lose my head when your mom got home."

She chuckled. "Yeah, well you're welcome. I thought I'd offer up some help since you're my soon to be step dad or whatever."

"You're not gonna call me blonde dad or anything like you joke around and call my sister blonde mom right?" He laughed. "I am glad we're talking and getting along. It's almost like old times with us and our tea parties."

"Oh no." She shook her head. "I'm not gonna call you blonde dad, maybe just step dad, always Jax though unless I'm upset then it'll be a Jackson."

"You sound like your mom when she says Jackson, which is very rare these days." He looked at his sons and sighed. "Noah is difficult."

"No, Noah has to go into the bath after Mason, it's just a thing. I know it sounds crazy since he's basically a fetus but he knows that he goes after Mase." Monica smirked. "Duh _Jackson_ , get it right damn."

"I never put them in the bath, usually they're already in when I help Bri." He shook his head. "I'm a shit dad, I should've known that."

"You're not a shit dad, you're just not as meticulous with things like my mom is. I mean look at this bedroom, everything has a place. She even put up hooks by the door for your kutte, hoodies and flannels so you can grab them and go." She shook her head. "Noah is just used to the way mom does bathtime but after a few times with you, he'll get used to your style, it just can't be right at nap time though. Then he's super grumpy and fights you."

"The hooks have skulls on them." Jax smiled as he let his blue eyes fall onto his sleeping sons who were now cuddling each other. "You're right though, we're different and our parenting styles are different. Look at me. I'm taking advice from a thirteen year old girl for christ sakes."

Monica shrugged as she started to move out of the bedroom. "Put up those safety rails that mom bought and then grab the monitor and come on. We can have a quick cup of tea while they're still sleeping."

"What's with you and your obsession with tea?" He followed after the brunette. "Is it like a thing you did a lot in Russia?"

"Um, I don't know really. I'd drink tea with Elijah when I was little then I came to the states and the first thing I was gifted by my mom was that tea set I always made us use. I just like the thought of it. Tea and cookies." She looked back at him and smiled. "Feel free to spike your tea or whatever. I just want iced tea today and not hot tea. I'm trying to expand my horizons. Like for when I travel the world. I don't want to end up in Georgia and reject tasting real southern iced tea."

"Where's the first stop on the world tour?" He moved after her into the kitchen, taking a seat at the large island. "Paris? Ireland? Brazil?"

"Brazil." She nodded slowly as she poured them each a glass of the iced tea. "I think it'd be awesome to go out there, pick up some Portuguese and take lots and lots of pictures, since it's supposed to be super colorful there. If anything, I could put Brazil on hold until carnevale happens, then it'd be extra colorful, gorgeous women in elaborate costumes. It'd be perfection. See, I want to make a coffee table book of my adventures."

"You want to just travel and take pictures of your adventures? Won't that take away from you living in the moment if you always have your camera out?" Jax took a sip of the tea before smiling. "This would be good with some Jack Daniels."

"See, I'm not going to take pictures all of the time. I'll work a bit then enjoy myself and soak in what each place has to offer." Monica grinned. "I'm sure you've been to some cool places while going on runs."

"You remind me so much of Jacey. She always wanted to wander off and take pictures. I remember when she applied to art school, she was super excited, already had basically moved into her own apartment and everything." Jax chuckled. "It was that apartment she shared for a brief moment with Happy. I remember helping her move in to that place. It was the only thing she could afford but she made it work, she made it her home."

"I liked that apartment a whole lot." She smiled and nodded slowly. "It was a good time. It really was a nice time. Then Camryn came along and he had to buy the big ass house next door to my mom like that was a smart move or something. It seems like no one around here realizes that too much of something ends up annoying you or making you sick after a while. Look at my mom and Jacey. They went from inseparable best friends to distant third cousins or something."

"Don't you have like friends you can play with?" Jax cocked an eyebrow at the brunette. "Jacey and your mom will work it out, they always do. Just sit back and watch. It may take some time but it'll happen."

"What are friends?" Monica looked at Jax. "I don't have friends because they fuck you over and then lie about it to your face. I probably won't ever have friends but it's alright. I got family and at the end of the day that's all you really need to make it through life."

"Let me tell you this, you need at least _one_ best friend to get you through life. Someone outside of the family that you can talk to and vent to." Jax smiled. "Look at me and Opie, best friends since childhood and brothers. You need that, just like Jacey and your mom need it. Your mom is just dealing with her problems but her and Jacey will be back to being partners in crime before the year is up. Just think about it, doesn't have to be now but you do need one."

"I get what you're saying." Monica nodded slowly. "I'll keep an open mind. I'll let the best friend come to me. Thank you for the tea and talk. I'll see you later. Have fun with the boys."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"It's fine." Bri looked at Jax as he started to fuss over Noah and Mason as they sat in the barber's chair for their first haircuts. "They're fine Jax. They need haircuts for their birthday this weekend. This is the best place. The suits recommended it. Look around. There's Roman, Yevgeny, Igor and Elijah. Our boys are going to look handsome as hell. I didn't get this with Creed, we had decided on letting him have yours and Jacey's hair. Remember?"

Jax nodded slowly as he started to lift Noah out of the chair, only to earn him a pop on the hand from the brunette beside him. "I'm surprised you're letting this happen. Could've let them have Creed hair."

"Oh yeah." She chuckled. "Could've dressed them up like little girls! Noelle and Maisie. Yup, they would make gorgeous girls but it's a little too late for that now."

"Noelle and Maisie?" He shook his head as he eyed Brianna carefully before chuckling. "You've put some thought into it before huh?"

"Of course I did." Bri shrugged as she kissed Mason's forehead. "I thought I could have twin girls so I started thinking of names. Those were crossed off very early though. I don't think they're fitting but they're cute names."

"You're a mess." He rolled his eyes. "They're looking good, are you giving them cuts like Elijah or what?"

"Um, I'm going for more of an effortless style for them. Elijah's is too much work. You've seen poor little Javi when his hair's grown out and it's hard for him to fuss with." She sighed as she took a few pictures of her boys. "Happy baby boys. I love them so damn much. Look at Noah, just in heaven with that lollipop. It's his first one."

"Mason isn't enjoying it at all." Jax frowned as he lifted Mason out of the chair. "You don't like cherry either? Just like your picky mama."

"Cherry, grape, orange and lemon should not be flavors of candy babe." Bri shook her head slowly. "Here my love, have a watermelon lollipop." She smiled at Mason. "If he's anything like me, then that will make his life complete right now."

"Yum." Mason nodded and grinned. "Yum."

"Exactly." She laughed as she watched the barber finish up with Noah. "He behaved much better than I expected him to. I thought Noah was going to be fussier. I thought he was going to put up a fight but the candy seems to be keeping him calm."

"Noah is looking good, I'm sure I had the same haircut at his age." Jax smiled at Noah. "You're looking good kid."

"He gets it from me." Bri chuckled as she took Mason from Jax. "His turn now. We gotta get them looking nearly identical. I think I want Mason to have a little less hair than Noah. Noah needs to be a little bit of a bushy haired handsome boy."

"Well behaved little ones you have here." The man smiled at the couple. "Behave better than some of the grown men I encounter."

"Thank you, we're raising them right." Jackson nodded and smiled proudly. "Their first birthday is soon, we wanted them to look good for the pictures."

Bri smiled and nodded. "You were highly recommended. You do my dad's haircuts, sometimes shave his scruff away too when he's in the mood for that."

"Who's your dad?" The man eyed Brianna carefully. "Don't tell me that you're Aleksandr's little one."

"I am." She chuckled. "What gave it away? The nose huh?"

He chuckled and nodded slowly. "The smile." He squeezed Bri's arm. "It's an endearing smile."

"Thank you Johnny." Bri nodded and grinned. "The boys look amazing though. I'm very happy with everything and I will be coming back here in a few weeks for a touch up. I really think I wanna keep Mason's hair shorter like that. It really works with his face."

"No problem, bring 'em back anytime. Tell your dad I said hello." Johnny waved at the family. "I loved working with them."

"I don't trust him." Jax murmured once they were out of earshot of the old man. "Bad vibe as soon as he started looking at you weird."

"Stop it. You're overreacting." She waved him off. "He's a little old man. He's fine. Come on. We have a few more stops before we can go home and relax."

 **August 21, 2015**

"No, no, no." Bri shook her head frantically as she looked at the thermostat before whacking it a few times. "Nope, this isn't happening. This can't be happening. I have a party to host. This is my twins' first birthday." She pressed all of the buttons before groaning and sliding down to the floor, her head in her hands before she sniffed.

"What's wrong." Jax looked down at the brunette before furrowing his brow. "I could hear you pounding on something all the way in our bedroom. It's hot down here."

"There's no power down here." She looked up at him. "I was in the kitchen, finishing off the last of the cupcakes and everything blew out. I tried to get it back up but nothing is working. I called an electric company and they can't squeeze us in for another three days. We can't have a birthday party here and it's way too hot to have it outside."

"Call Jacey and Happy." He pulled her up from the ground. "You know they'd let you move it over there, no problem whatsoever."

"No, I can't do that." She shook her head slowly as she wiped her eyes on his shirt. "I cannot do that. It's too awkward still. I don't want to ask that of them when I haven't been speaking to her or him for a while now. I'll move it to dad's house. He won't mind at all. I'll just text everyone that the party has moved and things will be fine."

"Okay my little nutcase." He wrapped his arms around her and rocked them side to side. "You need any help finishing up the cupcakes. I'm not the best decorator but I think I can manage to help you babe."

"No, no." Bri sighed. "I need to get over to dad's. I need to start getting it set up and ready to go. I'm going to take the three oldest, you can handle the twins right? All you need to do is feed and bathe them. Then bring them over. I will have their suits with me at the house. You hear me babe?"

"Yes boss." He chuckled as she kissed her forehead. "We're taking a mini vacation soon. You and me. Just you and me. We need the alone time and I need you to relax and stop being a nutcase baby."

"I just want everything to be perfect for them." She pulled on his tshirt and smiled. "I want to go on vacation though. Just imagine it. Uninterrupted sex. Us not having to rush to finish. We can actually take our time." She chuckled. "Sign me up for it. I'm ready to get out of here and go on a vacation, just make sure it's after Nikola's big day." She kissed his lips and smiled. "Be there on time at the house. I love you."

 **to be continued...**

 **it's going to be a longer part 2, I promise. I just needed to get it set up. part 2 will be posted sometime tomorrow morning. keep in mind I'm in California, so I'm running on PST time. Also thank you for the replies on the author's note. Feel free to keep tossing out suggestions as well.**


	95. Birthday Babies

"Thank you so much for helping me with this. I know it was super last minute." Brianna sighed as she looked at Sariya. "Leave it for shit to go wrong on my boys' first birthday. Our whole first floor lost power and there's nothing we can do to bring it back on right now. I would have the party outside but it's the dead of August and it's way too hot for kids to be running around today."

Sariya waved the younger brunette off as she helped set up the cupcake stands. "Did you bake all of this yourself or did you buy it from a bakery?"

"I made it all myself." Bri shrugged as she looked down at the dessert table. "Those late nights I spent up really came in handy with helping me hone my baking skills. Aren't the cupcakes cute? Little elephants on them. Those are made with chocolate. The cakes for the boys are cute too. M and N. My little babies are a year old. I can't believe how fast the year has went."

"I love them." Sariya nodded and smiled. "You did good. Is everyone coming?"

"By that do you mean Jacey and her family?" The brunette shrugged again. "I invited them, so I assume that they're going to show up for the party. I don't think they'd skip it and not give me a call or text."

"How are you Brianna?" Aleksandr looked down at his daughter and smiled. "You look happier."

"I am good dad." She looked at him and nodded slowly. "I am happy. Can we not do this now? We can talk after the party if you want to though."

"Yes, I would love to talk after the party." He nodded as he looked down at his feet, spotting his grandsons smiling up at him. "Noah, Mason, Creed. Where's the other two?" He chuckled as he picked up the twins. "Your mom dressed you like this? She should be stopped. Where are their suits and ties at Brianna?"

"They took pictures in suits just for you. I put copies of them on your desk." She smiled. "I figured they're going to get messy today, so I'd put them in something less expensive. I think they both look so handsome in their button ups and jeans. Uh Noah butt?"

"Yeah." Noah giggled and clapped as he rested his head against Aleksandr's arm. "Mama."

"That is your mama isn't it." Aleksandr smiled. "Pretty mama."

"No, no." Noah shook his head as he pointed to Sariya. "Mama!"

"No, no." Bri shook her head. "I'm your mama!"

"No." He shook his head again as he reached out for Sariya. "Mama."

"Grandma." Sariya laughed as she accepted Noah and pressed kisses to his forehead. "That's my handsome grandson. You're so handsome Noah."

"Mama." Noah smiled before kissing Sariya's cheek. "Mama."

"I think he's trying to say grandma." Aleksandr looked at Bri. "Don't have a stroke over this my dear. At least he's not calling some random woman mama."

"Mom! Camryn is here! How do I look?" Javier sighed as he smoothed his hand over his hair. "Do I look dashing?"

"Yes you do." Bri bent down and kissed Javier's cheeks. "You're so damn handsome my love, go get your Camryn."

"I am." Javier nodded as he moved towards the front door, pulling it open. "Hi Camryn!"

The little blonde started smiling as she moved to Javier and hugged him tightly. "Hi Javi Baby! I missed you!"

"I missed you too! You smell good!" He rocked them side to side as they continued to hug. "You look so pretty too."

Camryn giggled as she pulled away a little to kiss Javier's cheek. "I missed you more! You look handsome, I like your bow tie!" She looked back at Happy. "Look at his pretty bow tie daddy."

"I picked it out myself. It has dinos on it." He nodded eagerly. "So do my socks. Elijah and Igor told me that I look sharp. Whatever that means."

Happy nodded his head as he chuckled. "You look very sharp, thief. You better take care of my blondie. She's missed you since yesterday." He eased Kol to the floor before taking Ashtyn from his wife. "Let's go, stop using her as a shield."

"I missed her a lot too." Javier nodded and smiled. "Hi Kol. You should see the candy bar and dessert table. So many cupcakes and cookies."

Kol smiled at Javier. "I love cupcakes they're my favorite. Do you want to eat them with me? Where's my best friend Creed?" He inquired as he looked back at Happy. "Where's Creed?"

"Creed is inside with his dad." Javier grinned. "I'm going to eat all of the cupcakes with you Kol. Cam, there's your favorite cupcakes too. I even saw that my mom made red velvet cookies, your dad will probably eat them all though."

Jacey scooped Javier up and started peppering his face. "Did you dump me? I missed your handsome little face."

"No I didn't dump you." He shook his head. "I missed you too Jacey. It's the twins' birthday. They're one now and super bad."

Jacey laughed as she nodded her head. "Oh is that so? Let's go see if we can't find them. Me and Happy have lots of presents for them." She set Javier on his feet and sighed. "You're getting heavy."

"Yes, it's so. They're with Sariya and Grandpa." Javier shrugged. "They're hogging the twins like always."

Happy shook his head slowly. "I'll stop that right now. The twins are mine, everyone knows that." He kissed Ashtyn's head as he smiled at her. "You're my favorite though. Jackson! Give me Creed."

"Hey!" Creed waved at Happy and smiled. "Look, I got a girlfriend. Her name is Bianca." He pointed to the blonde next to him. "She's a doctor like my mom!"

Happy chuckled as he scooped the toddler up and kissed his head. "You have a girlfriend? Huh uh, her? No way." He looked at Bianca. "Friend of Bri's?"

"Colleague, business partner and friend. I just stopped by to drop off presents from Lucius and I." Bianca smiled. "Creed however talked me into staying for a little while."

"She's my girlfriend." Creed whispered to Happy before smiling again. "She told me she'll come hang out with me tomorrow."

Happy chuckled as he nodded his head. "Sounds to me like she's playing you, kid. She's got another boyfriend somewhere else." He looked at Bianca. "I'm her brother-in-law. Happy."

"Nice to meet you Happy." Bianca smiled at the man before looking at the blonde next to him. "So, that means you're Jacey. You're prettier than the pictures."

Jacey smiled as she nodded. "I am. Thank you. This is our youngest, Ashtyn. She's a crowd favorite and a Jax favorite so if you see him, tell her she's not here."

"She is gorgeous, look at those eyes." Bianca nodded. "This is just one gorgeous family."

The blonde smiled again. "Thank you, that's sweet. I'm going to find the twins, make Noah talk to me."

"Noah is with Sariya!" Creed smiled at Jacey. "She hogs all the babies."

Jacey smiled at her nephew before she took Ashtyn from Happy. "Come on gorgeous, let's see if we can't trick Grandma." She kissed the baby's cheek. "Mom!"

"I'm in the kitchen!" Sariya shouted. "Come here."

Jacey followed the brunette's instructions. "Mom, hi." She smiled as she walked into the kitchen, seeing Bri before she focused on Mason in her arms. "Look at these handsome boys."

"Your dad got them to let him put the bow ties on them." Sariya chuckled. "They're being good right now."

The blonde smiled as she approached Sariya, hugging her before she kissed Noah's cheek. "You're so handsome. You and your twin. Happy birthday handsome." She looked at Sariya. "Camryn found her boyfriend so you can't see her yet but she's happy for a night with you."

"No." Noah shook his head. "No, no, no, no."

Jacey furrowed her brow. "No what? What's wrong?"

"He's saying his name." Bri chuckled. "He's also saying no. He's confused between the two to be honest."

Jacey looked back at Bri and nodded. "Ah. Come here handsome, give me love." She kissed Noah's cheek. "I might just let you love on Ashtyn."

"Love." Noah kissed Jacey's cheek and grinned. "Hi love."

Jacey smiled as she kissed the baby boy's cheek. "You're so damn precious. Tell everyone bye, let's go in the other room."

"Bye mama!" He waved and smiled. "Bye bye."

Jacey grinned at Sariya. "You can have Ashtyn later, bye." She left the kitchen and moved toward the living room. "Jackson Teller. Look what I found."

"Noah." Jax smiled before holding his arms out. "Give me Ashtyn since you stole my kid."

Jacey smirked as Noah shook his head. "Ask him if she can leave him… not me." She kissed Ashtyn's cheek. "They're friends shithead."

"No dad." Noah shook his head again. "Mine."

Jacey nodded her head. "Tell him babe. You show him who's boss."

"Boss." Noah nodded slowly. "Me!"

Jacey smirked as she kissed Noah's cheek. "I spoil your kids, you're welcome. Noah, let your dad hold Ashtyn. She misses him."

"No." He shook his head. "My baby."

The blonde sighed. "Look at her sad face though babe, she wants to give him kisses."

"Ok." Noah nodded. "Bye bye baby."

Jacey smiled as she passed her daughter to her brother. "Bye gorgeous. Bring her back when she starts sucking on her bottom lip. She hasn't had dinner yet."

"I will." Jax smiled as he kissed Ashtyn's face. "You enjoy the party, it's all of the family. Nik and Ant are around here. Last I checked Nik was changing Kajsa's dress because Kajsa fell in some mud in the garden."

Jacey shook her head. "I'm going to find my dad actually. I wanna see him. Go see Hap."

"I will." Jax nodded. "Have fun."

Ashtyn stared at her uncle before she poked her bottom lip out as she rubbed Jax's cheek.

"Right after I cuddle you." He chuckled as he started peppering Ashtyn's face with kisses. "I'm going to sneak you some of the sauce from the wings too. I know you don't like any type of sweets. So no cupcakes or whatever."

Happy shook his head slowly as he approached his brother-in-law. "You better not. Look at that evil grin, she's just tricking you into food."

"I'm the uncle, I'm supposed to give into her." Jax shrugged. "Tell him Ashtyn. I'm sure you'd spoil any nieces if you had any."

Ashtyn landed a small hand on Jax's lips and tugged on the man's bottom lip before she used her free hand to tug on the man's hair as she giggled.

"Just like your mom, already beating me and loving it." He shook his head as he walked her towards the food table. "So, hot, mild, regular sauce?"

The baby girl tugged on his hair again, giggling to him before she threw her head against his. She stopped giggling as her bottom lip started to poke out.

"Headbutting hurts baby." He frowned as he started to rub her head. "I'll make you all better." He picked up a spoon, dipping it in the sauce from a regular wing before dragging it over Ashtyn's bottom lip. "Taste that and you'll be all better. These are Bri approved wings since she can't handle any spice stronger than black pepper."

Ashtyn frowned and started pouting again as she looked at Jax. She shook her head slowly as she stuck her tongue out.

"Mild sauce?" He dipped into the next sauce before rubbing it on Ashtyn's tongue. "I think that's a little better for you."

She started whimpering as she looked at Jax with tears in her eyes.

"You hurt her feelings, Jackson." Camryn stated as she looked up at the man. "Give her kisses and she will be ok."

"Hey Camryn." He looked down at the blonde and smiled. "I thought she'd like to taste some of the wing sauce but I guess not. You look pretty, I like the dress."

Camryn smiled up at her uncle. "Thanks, my mama picked out with me. We had fun shopping. She said I'm perfection." She nodded eagerly. "She's sleepy, mama said when Ash tries to lay down and curl up like that, she's sleepy. She doesn't want sauce."

"Ohh." He nodded slowly. "I'm going to let her curl up and fall asleep. She likes leg rubs huh? You are perfection. I'm jealous of your tan. I wish my hair curled up like that too." He chuckled. "You hungry? I can fix you a plate."

Camryn shook her head. "She likes leg rubs and being sung to. Also likes when papa sings to her in Russian." She smiled at her uncle. "I already ate."

"I'm getting better with the Russian but I cannot sing to save my life." Jax shook his head slowly. "How's your art?"

The blonde smiled as she looked up. "It's fun! I painted a picture for you and B.B but I haven't given it to you yet because mama said you've been busy with club stuff."

"I have been busy. I however have the next two weeks off. I get to just relax and hangout." He smiled at her. "Maybe you wanna come over and swim with me? It could be fun.. I've gotten better at the doggy paddle."

Camryn shook he head slowly. "I don't have time. I have days full of mama, daddy, Mo and I'm trying to teach Ash to paint." She smiled. "Maybe another time."

"That's fine, just let me know when you're free." He grinned. "Those sound like fun days. When do you squeeze Javier in?"

Camryn shook her head again. "I never squeeze him in, Jackson. He fits perfectly! He likes hanging out with my daddy too. Daddy tries to teach him how to draw." She shrugged. "Can I have a sleepover with you? Not Brianna though."

"Yes, we can have a sleepover." He nodded eagerly. "Don't worry, Brianna won't be allowed at our sleepover. It'll just be us."

Camryn smiled as she wrapped her arms around the man's legs. "Good because I miss you sleeping over."

"I miss it too." He nodded slowly. "We're going to have a very fun time. I promise you that much."

She smiled up at him before she started climbing up Jax's body. "How come you only hang out with Ashtyn?!"

"Ashtyn always hunts me down." Jax shrugged as he rested Camryn on his hip. "I can start hanging out with you more. I can't really promise I can teach you anything cool. Ya see, I'm a writer and I think you already know how to write."

The little blonde smiled and nodded her head. "Can I keep the twins? I wanna draw on them. They like finger painting too."

"If you let me visit them, then you can keep them." He nodded slowly. "I think they have fun when they're with you. You wanna go see if they're finally ready to enjoy their birthday party or if your mom put them to sleep with that hair thing she does?"

Camryn nodded eagerly. "You put Ash to sleep. It's the leg thing, anyone can do it. She likes cuddles, my mama says it's a thing that Grandma does to Ash." She smiled. "I love grandma. She's so pretty and cuddly, she loves cuddles."

"Grandma never cuddles me. She told me that I'm way too big." He chuckled. "I love her though. She also makes the best food ever. Don't tell Brianna that I said that though."

Camryn nodded her head slowly as she kissed Jax's cheek. "You need a diet, let's go find the twins. It's their birthday."

"Let's go." He smiled at her as he started to walk out back towards the party. "Look, I think I've spotted the twins."

Camryn smiled at her uncle. "Look Jackie look! My twins and my Creed. Can I keep Creed too? He's my favorite blonde!"

"Hey!" Jax scoffed. "I thought I was your favorite blonde but go ahead, take them all."

"Where have you two been? Jackson stop taking my babies." Jacey appeared behind her brother. "Give up one of them."

"Take the sleeping one." He shrugged. "I'm keeping Camryn. Her and I are negotiating things. She's taking the twins and Creed off my hands."

Jacey smirked as she took Ashtyn gently into her arms. "Oh but I can't take them. You may wanna talk to their mother first."

"Cake!" Mason shouted as he waved his hands around wildly. "Cake! Cake! Cake! Dad!"

Jacey looked back at her nephew. "Babe! Where's your brother?"

Mason shrugged. "Cake, dad!"

"He learned how to say it, now he won't shut up about it." Bri shook her head as she lifted Mason up. "Noah is looking at the presents. He's curious about them."

Camryn tightened her arms around Jax's neck. "Let's get number one. Pick up number two." She whispered as she glanced at Bri.

"Take him." Bri shrugged as she let Jax take Mason from her. I'm going to make sure Javier isn't gorging himself on cupcakes before he even has a bite of real food. I also need to make sure the guys have all the liquor and beer they can handle."

Jacey looked at Camryn before looking at Jax. "We may not stay the whole time but the twins have a ton of gifts. I'm sure happy let Noah know about them." She smiled.

Jax nodded slowly. "It's fine. It was good that you guys came and dropped off gifts. I appreciate it and I know the twins do too. Make sure you take food and desserts home if you want to Jacey J." He smiled at her.

"Oh no no. I'm not sure about the food however I'd like to stay for them opening their gifts." She smiled. "I do love them very much."

"Not a fan of Bri or Sariya's cooking?" He chuckled. "That's fine, we're opening up gifts soon. Bri wanted to do it as early as possible in case the twins start falling asleep. I doubt they will though, look at Mason, he's pretty much foaming at the mouth to get to the birthday cake."

Jacey shook her head. "Didn't say that. Just don't feel like awkward encounters and therapy sessions. Let's find the other one. I'm gonna sit down with this one."

"Yeah, well at least everyone else is having a blast. I saw Tig and Chibs playing pin the tail on the donkey earlier." He laughed. "Noah Butt come here, let's start opening up those presents."

"My Happy." Noah looked back at his dad before pointing to his uncle. "Mine, mine, mine!"

Happy grinned at his brother. "He told me he wants to live with me."

"Well, your daughter here already talked me out of them. So you'll have even more at your place." Jax smiled. "I'll be down to zero kids again if that happens."

Happy grinned at his daughter. "You'd think she was just like me or something. She just wants more brothers to cuddle before her current one won't cuddle her right now."

"She's got all of our kids." Jax shook his head. "Can I at least have Monica back? It's a fair trade Camryn. The twins and Creed for her."

Camryn shook her head slowly. "No sir, Monica is all mine. I cannot give her back, she's my Monica. Just ask."

"Then I just have to live with Brianna and Javier when he's there." He nodded his head slowly. "I guess I can deal with that."

Happy shook his head slowly. "Nope, Javier already stated that he'd be moving in very soon." He smiled.

"It's just me and Brianna." He sighed. "Jesus Christ."

Happy chuckled as he nodded his head. "And now I have about ten damn kids, I feel like you're fairly lucky here."

"I don't know. I was just getting the hang of the boys' daily routines. The order they need to go into the tub too." He laughed. "I guess I can get a dog or something. I've always wanted a dog."

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "They seem to enjoy listening to Jacey. It's just something about her that steals their attention." He smiled. "We'll let you visit them though."

"It's present time." Sariya addressed the room. "You can continue eating and drinking but please give some attention to Noah and Mason."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "Look dad, you married the chipper version of Brianna." She smirked as she sat down beside her dad.

"Oh, I know." Aleksandr chuckled. "Glad you're here. Needed more sane people around."

Jacey nodded her head. "Glad I came too, love seeing the kids together. Can't keep them apart, however your child keeps finding her way around me and I don't like it."

"She told me she wanted to speak with me after the party, so I'm holding out some hope but I know it won't be too good." Aleksandr sighed. "It's an uncomfortable situation but we're all trying to make the best of it for the twins. Although they won't even remember this party at all."

Jacey nodded her head. "Let me know how it goes, please. I'll let you borrow one of the tiny babes if you need one." She smiled at him. "We'll remember it and I don't want to remember this as a terrible event."

"This is so exciting." Sariya sat down between Aleksandr and her daughter. "Look how happy my babies look! I cannot believe they've been around a year already. Seems longer huh?"

Jacey looked at Sariya and nodded her head. "Something like that. I need a drink, dad watch for Kol please." She stood up and moved out of the room.

"Hey Jacey." Bri smiled at the blonde. "I'm happy you came. I can't wait to see what you and Happy have spoiled the twins with. Creed still rambles about his gifts from you guys."

Jacey looked up and sighed. "Of course I came, they're my nephews and I love spoiling all of the babies."

"I know they are." Bri nodded slowly. "I whined to mom while setting up because I didn't want things to feel awkward and by trying to prevent that I've actually been making everyone feel awkward or at least that's what Opie told me. So, I'm sorry about that."

Jacey nodded her head. "That's fine, it's just life. I'm gonna find an empty room if that's ok, I need to feed her. She'll be waking up soon."

"That's fine." Bri smiled. "I do wanna talk to you after the party, if you're still here that is. If not then I'll text you and we can just meet up to talk."

The blonde nodded her head. "You can come talk now. I'm a pretty good listener once she's situated happily."

"After the party. It's going to be a long talk." Bri nodded slowly. "I'm going to go back out there, watch the boys geek out over the presents."

 **.**

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"So, you've all thoroughly spoiled my boys." Jax looked at the guests and smiled. "I want to thank Happy and Jacey for showing me and Bri up by giving the boys ride on Harleys, now they'll be speeding down the street with Creed and Kol."

"Thank you!" Mason smiled and waved at everyone. "This is mine!" He pointed to the Harley he was sitting on.

"He's the one with manners, Noah not so much." Brianna laughed and shook her head slowly. "It's a damn shame. I'm sorry, we're working on him though. However, he is a little flirt though."

"Bye bye." Noah shook his head as he rode off on his bike. "Mine, mine."

"Already a pro at it." Opie chuckled. "It's really in the blood huh?"

"Yup." Jax nodded and smiled proudly as he watched his sons. "Here comes Creed on his, we're just missing our Lowman on his."

Bri smiled. "Thanks to everyone who showed up, enjoyed this day with us. It means a lot to Jackson and myself. I know the twins probably won't remember this but all of us will and that's why I made sure the adults were taken care of."

"We appreciated that." Tig nodded slowly and smiled. "The liquor was very nice, seemed almost never ending."

"I hope you can ride back safely." She chuckled. "If not, I'll have someone drive you home. If you excuse me though. I am going to start cleaning, so the rest of you can stick around and finish off the booze and food." She moved out of the living room and straight into her dad's office, her eyes finding him sitting behind his desk. "Dad, I miss you."

Aleksandr looked at his daughter and smiled. "I miss you too Brianna. Come and have a seat."

"I miss you a whole lot." She walked closer to him, taking a seat in the chair across from him before sighing. "I want to run something by you, you can say no if you don't want to do it and I'll understand completely."

"My ears are open my dear." He nodded slowly. "What's on your mind?"

"I want us to go to counseling." Bri shrugged. "I think it'd be good for us, to talk and stuff. I know you think therapy is pointless but I think it will help. It's helped me so far. I've been doing better since I've been constantly going. I am going to talk to Jacey, see if she'd be down to go as well. Maybe even the three of us could go together because sometimes I still get pissed off and jealous that you're actually her dad."

"I will go with you." He studied her carefully before furrowing his brow. "Brianna, Jacey being my biological daughter changes nothing between you and I. I still love you as much as I did the first time I held you in my arms. You're my daughter, just as much as Jacey was before the truth came out. There's nothing to be jealous about my baby girl. I love you so much. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be so twisted up about you wanting to have this space away from me and away from Jacey. I'm glad that you're doing well but it still sucks that you're not here every single day, driving me and Sariya up the wall."

"I love you too and I know that I shouldn't be jealous but sometimes I can't help it." She shook her head slowly. "Sometimes it just seems that you love her and her family more than you love me and mine. Like, look at you with Camryn, Kol and Ashtyn, those are unbreakable bonds, you don't have those with my kids." She shrugged as she wiped at her face. "I know it's stupid and all in my mind and I'm working on it. I really am working on getting past this shit. I don't wanna be jealous of my own sister. I really don't want to be."

"Katarzyna." Aleksandr moved to the brunette, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he rested his chin on top of her head. "Natural feelings but you'll be fine my love. You'll be fine. We'll work through everything and I know that we'll come out the other side stronger. Just keep your hope and faith. I love you, please don't ever forget it either my love."

"I love you too." She nodded as she rested her face against his chest and sighed. "I don't forget it ever. You think I can sneak out of the house without cleaning up?"

"I think you can try to sneak out but you know Sariya will find your ass and beat you for leaving her home a damn mess." He shook his head and chuckled. "Don't try to get that ass beat Brianna, be on your best behavior."

Bri groaned as she pulled out of the hug. "Fine, fine. I'm going to start cleaning up this mess. I forgot how messy birthday parties are. Luckily I don't have any for a while, thank God."


	96. The Cove

**August 31, 2015**

Nikola combed her fingers through her hair, trying her best to achieve a messy but neat appearance. She was minutes away from walking down the aisle in front of her friends and most importantly in front of her family. Technically she was already married to Anthony but however she still wanted a ceremony. Something everyone could enjoy right along with them. Now that they were gathering on the beach, right before sunset, meant the world to her. "I don't think I could look better than I do now."

"I agree." Brianna smiled at her sister before placing a delicate floral crown on top of Nik's head. "You look absolutely gorgeous. This is you. This dress is everything. Don't even get me started on the way it looks out there babe. You did amazing with the color scheme."

"I was inspired by the sunset." Nik nodded her head slowly before smiling at her daughter skipping into the room. "Kajsa, are you ready to scatter your flowers everywhere?"

"Yes." Kajsa nodded eagerly and grinned. "I just got kisses from my Kol. He kissed my cheeks so now I'm very happy."

Sariya shook her head slowly and laughed. "She's all about kisses isn't she? It's precious. I wish everything were this innocent all the time."

"We're just waiting for Jacey, Ashtyn and Camryn to get in here. I want some pictures beforehand." Nik smiled as she lifted up her daughter and settled her on the table. "Make a kissy face baby, it's time for your first lipstick. Red or this gorgeous pink color?"

"Red." Kajsa nodded. "I'm gonna kiss my Kol and he's gonna have lips on his cheeks. Just like you do to my daddy."

"Oh, now we know why she likes kisses so much." Bri laughed as she shifted Spencer from one hip to the other. "He's so handsome and quiet. I can't wait until he talks some more. Maybe he'll be flirty with Jacey. He seems to like to talk to her."

"Mama." Spencer buried his face in Bri's side before looking over at Nik and smiling. "Hi Mama."

"Baby love." Nik reached out for her son and took him into her arms, resting her forehead against his and smiling. "I love you so much. You look so handsome in your little suit. You should be with your dad though, bonding with the boys."

"No, no." Bri shook her head. "Don't go trying to give him away, we need a little testosterone in this room." She smirked, watching the door open up. "Look at you three, the late Lowmans. You're missing all of the fun."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "Blame Ashtyn. She wanted to pitch a fit when I took her daddy away from her. She's been showing off her lip ever since." She grinned as she stopped in front of Her younger sister. "You're so perfect!"

"Are you sure?" Nik smiled at Jacey. "Aleksandr thought I was you when I was walking in the dressing room. He hit me with a Jacey Nicole because I didn't answer to Jacey the first five times."

Jacey laughed as she nodded her head. "Probably because you're my twin right now. You are me." She kissed the blonde's forehead. "You're perfect as always."

"They say imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery." Brianna smiled. "She wants to be perfect just like you Blondie. I think you two are the blood sisters. Hell, that wouldn't surprise me at all. I need to start grilling dad about that."

Jacey started laughing. "I don't care about the blood. You're my babies and I love you so much." She looked down at Ashtyn. "Put the lip up baby, talk to Nikola."

"Mmm, my little baby." Nik took Ashtyn and smiled down at her. "What's got you all sad for huh? You'll see your daddy in a few minutes. You look so gorgeous in your outfit. Look at you too Camryn, that color is gorgeous with your eyes and that tan."

"You look like a doll." Kajsa smiled up at Camryn. "I like your hair, it looks fun to play with!"

Camryn smiled as she hugged Kajsa. "You look beautiful, Kajsa!" She nodded her head. "I like your flower crown."

"Thank you." Kajsa smiled. "My mom had it made for me. You have one too. You wanna see it?"

Camryn nodded eagerly as she smiled at Kajsa. "I do! I wanna wear it too." She looked at her mom and smiled. "I have a crown too!"

"Give her some kisses, Nik. She might perk up." Jacey shrugged before she leaned down to kiss Camryn's forehead. "Because you're a princess too. Give me love Kajsa."

"Abuelo Jaime says we're all princesses and queens. He's my dad's tio." Kajsa smiled before kissing Jacey's cheeks and hugging her. "Love for you pretty lady."

"Jaime is Anthony's uncle but he raised Ant so that's like his dad and her grandpa." Nik smiled. "I think Ashtyn looks happier now that she's gotten some kisses."

Camryn furrowed her brow as she looked back at Sariya. "Isn't papa her grandpa?" She leaned against Nik and sighed. "You look like mama, Niki."

"She has two grandpas." Sariya smiled. "So, she has twice the headache."

Nik wrapped her arms around Carmyn and nodded. "Thank you. That's a big compliment. You look gorgeous. Have you seen Javier out there yet? He was looking handsome in his suit when I saw him."

Camryn nodded her head eagerly. "He's so handsome! I think you're beautiful, as always. Where'd my B go?"

"One day we'll all be in a dressing room getting you ready to marry Javier." Nik smiled. "Bri is right there, trying to kidnap my son. Look at her Camryn, she's trying to sneak out of here the back way."

Jacey sighed heavily as she nodded her head. "Don't discuss that. I'll be sobbing. My baby will be all grown up and I can't handle that yet."

"Hey, the day my baby Kajsa gets married will be the day I cry like a baby." Nik laughed. "I don't want any of them to grow up fast."

Jacey shook her head. "My girls will have me crying like a baby. Kol on the other hand, I'll just die. I can't have my baby boy growing up and leaving me."

"My boys are not allowed to get married, well Javier can get married but the other three are just stuck with me." Bri shrugged. "I'd die if Creed got married, same with the twins! Javier is already married."

Camryn cut her eyes at Bri and crossed her arms over her chest. "Javier is my boyfriend, don't forget it." She nodded slowly. "We're getting married in fifteen years!"

"I can never forget. I set you two up when you were both still cooking. So, don't you forget it." She smiled at Camryn. "I know he's getting married to you. He told me so last night. He has big plans for the two of you."

Jacey smirked at her sister. " _Who_ does she look like with that look on her face? She gives it to Igor when they get to arguing."

"Her dad." Bri shook her head slowly. "It's scary but it works with her face."

The blonde nodded her head eagerly. "She's still that sweet baby you used to try to steal. My precious little love. Let's get going before I get Spencer. He knows how to put me to sleep."

"I'm ready for this." Nik nodded eagerly. "Take me to my Anthony. I need to see him in his suit."

Jacey smirked at the blonde and nodded. "Who's walking you down the aisle again?" She kissed Nik' head. "I love you. You gorgeous thing."

"Aleksandr is." Nik smiled. "Duh. You knew that. I'm borrowing your dad."

Jacey shook her head. "He's yours too baby. Accept it. He kind of likes your bratty ass too." She smiled as she started out of the room. "Give Ashtyn back before your husband thinks this is my wedding gift." She winked at Nik.

"He only kind of likes me because I remind him of you." Nik smirked as she passed Ashtyn back. "Alright, it's show time. I am missing my hubby way too much. I gotta see his handsome face. He's probably out there flirting with Happy though."

Jacey started laughing. "That is not true. You're his quiet baby, he loves your drama free attitude. You know me and Bri cause the most problems." She kissed Ashtyn's forehead. "I'll let your daddy hold you, I know you miss him. Nik, don't trip." She winked at the blonde as she stopped behind Camryn and Kajsa. "Ok my loves. Lead us in."

"I'm the flower girl, you wanna help me toss flowers Camryn?" Kajsa grabbed the blonde's hand and smiled. "It's fun. It's okay to make this mess, we're giving the petals back to nature and stuff."

Camryn nodded eagerly as she smiled at Kajsa. "Yes, I do. These are pretty petals I like them a lot." She looked back at Jacey and smiled. "That's my mama, did you know that?"

"I know it! Your mama is pretty like you." Kajsa nodded. "I picked all of these petals with Grandma and Bri Bri. They're from Grandpa's rose garden."

Camryn smiled widely and nodded her head eagerly. "You're pretty too, you look like Ant. He's my best friend, are you my dad's best friend?" She looked down at Kajsa.

"Ant is my dad." She smiled and nodded eagerly. "Yes, that's my Happy. I call him Big Kol though because one day Kol is gonna be big like him. He's a giant man!"

Jacey leaned down and kissed the girls' heads. "You're both so perfect and precious, it's time for you two to walk down the aisle though, ok?"

"Come on." Kajsa grinned at Camryn before grabbing a handful of petals. "Let's make it all pretty!"

Jacey looked back at Bri and smiled. "Now that my heart has melted. Walk me down the aisle, let me spend a little time with you before the night ends and more time and space is put between us." She shrugged. "Just a short walk."

"Those two are adorable together." Bri grabbed Jacey's hand and smiled. "When this is over. I'm probably going to go home and force Jax to play with my hair. I need that to be honest."

Jacey nodded her head and smiled. "That sounds like a good night. I think we're gonna get out of Oakland for a little while." She shrugged. "Before school starts back and my poor babies have to become morning people."

"Javier is looking forward to starting at Camryn's school." She smiled. "I finally told him the news."

Jacey looked at Bri and nodded. "I'm glad they'll be together, they'll have a lot of fun together. She loves it there now that I've gone crazy a few times on the moms there for letting their troll children try to bully my baby." She shrugged. "Of course I went all angry Jacey on them."

"Here she comes." Bri leaned against Jacey and wiped at her eyes. "My last baby sister is getting married right now."

The blonde looked up and sighed. "Look at the baby. Oh my god, my pretty baby. Look at Ant right now." She sighed again as she looked at Anthony and smiled. "He's so damn happy."

"If he smiles any wider his face will crack." Bri laughed. "They're such a cute ass couple. I'm so happy for them."

Jacey nodded her head slowly. "Look at her. My sweet little baby, she's about to crack too. I'm so in love with them, perfect babies."

"That's my love." Anthony poked Happy. "She looks like a goddess."

Happy chuckled and nodded his head. "She's gorgeous man, you're lucky as hell." He smiled as he clapped a hand on Anthony's shoulder. "Congratulations my man."

"That's my mom." Kajsa clapped her hands. "She looks like a mermaid with _legs_."

"Thanks man." Anthony smiled at Happy. "I can't believe I'm marrying her again."

Happy chuckled as he scooped up Kajsa. "Look at your mama, she's gorgeous huh?" He smiled at Anthony. "I'm glad you're doing this."

"It's the most money we've spent on something like this. It's for her, it's her big day. I know she loves it." Anthony nodded slowly. "I want to hear her vows though, she's not much of a talker if you haven't noticed."

Happy chuckled and nodded. "I can't wait to hear her vows. She's the quiet little shit of the trio, that's for sure."

"Shit." Kajsa giggled as she buried her face in Happy's neck. "Little shit. My mom's a little shit!"

"Kajsa Muse." Anthony cut his gaze at his daughter. "Watch your mouth or you'll get that bar of soap again kid."

"Don't threaten my baby." Nik chuckled as she kissed Anthony's cheek. "Hey Happy."

Happy grinned at the blonde. "Little shit." He kissed Kajsa's head. "Don't say that, Tiny. You can't do it, it's a bad word."

"What makes it bad?" Kajsa looked at him. "Huh?"

He shook his head. "Don't question me, I know everything. Just ask your mom, she'll tell ya."

"Are we ready to begin?" The officiant looked between the couple and smiled brightly. "I have to tell you, this is my first ever beach wedding. It's quite nice out here actually, I thought it'd be a hot night but it isn't."

Nik chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I could have you here. My dad raved about you." She smiled. "We are ready though. I think my baby girl can keep quiet for a few more minutes now that she's being held."

"We meet today by the sea to have Anthony and Nikola become one by the border of this constant and unlimited force." He smiled at the couple and nodded. "And as these waters, Nikola and Anthony may your love be limitless, flowing and ever changing . May your love forever redefine itself. May your love hold within it the essence of life. In pledging your lives and love to one another for all the days that remain to you Anthony and Nikola, we acknowledge the changes in your existence and celebrate your commitment to a strong, loving relationship. May your love touch and enrich all those with whom you come in contact, as these waters touch and nourish the many shores of the earth."

Nik smiled, wiping at her eyes before she looked at the officiant before looking at Anthony once again. "We've written our vows."

"Lovely, proceed." He nodded slowly. "Now, we hear what these two have to say to one another."

"I'll go first." Anthony cleared his throat and smiled. "I'm not a man of many words but I usually have a lot to say when I am alone with you Nikola. From the first moment we met you had me speaking in circles. None of which made too much sense and you made sure to call me out on that. Which I love. You've given me some of the best memories in my life, you've given me a permanent reason to always be smiling, you know when I'm not working because I can't be smiling while I work. You've given me two gorgeous children, a beautiful life, you've brought me into a big and wonderful family, although we know Brianna will try to take credit for that aspect. I just know that I love you and I'm glad we've worked out, that we made it despite some people being skeptical of the age difference. I know, I know people, it's shocking that I'm not in my twenties, even though I think I look it." He chuckled. "Nikola, you've been nothing but a blessing to me, loving, supportive. Man, you've been supportive, letting me drag you and our family from place to place without ever complaining about it. I love you so much and I know our journey is far from over. I just can't wait to see what the next adventure has in store for us."

"You all know that the thing I hate more than talking is expressing any type of feeling or emotion. I'm not that sister. No offense to Brianna or Jacey." Nik winked at the pair. "Anthony, Ant or even more so _Anfy_ as you were known by when we first met. I had no idea what an Anfy was but Camryn was all about this person, so I knew this Anfy had to be special since I hear the Lowman children only let in people that they get good vibes from. I think our relationship took everyone by surprise, I don't think anyone expected it because of the age difference and the fact that neither of us spoke much. I liked it like that, there was no interference, no judgement and when we announced it, or rather you dropped the bomb that I was your girlfriend, it caught some off guard." She chuckled. "I love you so much, I'll follow you to the end of the earth, I love all of the places you've taken me, I love our two little babies, I'd give you more if I could. For the record, I love listening to you talk and tell me stories about your childhood, they're fun, they give me a look at what I may be getting into with Spencer. I love you and I can honestly say that you're my bestest friend in the whole world. We work together and I can't wait to see what adventures we'll have under our belt at this time next year."

"You called my dad Anfy?" Kajsa looked down at Camryn and smiled. "You're so silly, pretty girl."

Happy cupped a large hand over the toddler's mouth and kissed her head. "Gotta stay quiet, tiny. Look at your pretty mama and her pretty sisters."

The officiant smiled and nodded eagerly before clearing his throat as he looked at the couple. "Love came softly upon your hearts, just as the foam comes softly upon the sand, and just as there will never be a morning without the ocean's flow, so there will never be a day without your love for each other." He accepted the rings from Spencer and smiled "Anthony, in placing this ring on Nikola's finger, repeat after me: Nikola, this ring I give you, my personal gift and my personal promise, of love and trust for all the days of our lives."

Anthony smiled as he held Nik's hand in his before sliding the ring slowly onto her finger. "Nikola, this ring I give you, my personal gift and my personal promise, of love and trust for all the days of our lives."

"Nikola, in placing this ring on Anthony's finger, repeat after me: Anthony, this ring I give you, my personal gift and my personal promise of love and trust for all the days of our lives."

"Anthony, this ring I give you, my personal gift and my personal promise of love and trust for all the days of our lives." Nik smiled at the man and sniffled.

"As we stand beside the ocean tide, may your love always be as constant and unchanging as these never ending waves that pour beneath our feet, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Since Anthony and Nikola have pledged their love and commitment to each other before these witnesses, I declare that they are husband and wife. As these waters nourish the earth and sustain life, may your constant love nourish and sustain you both until the end of time. Congratulations! You may kiss."

"You heard the man." Anthony smirked at Nikola before pulling her to him by her waist. "We can kiss." He caught her lips in a kiss before pulling away and smiling. "You got your sunset kiss baby."

"I love you." She chuckled and nodded. "So much. We're married. _Again_. This time in front of our family and friends."

"For the first time, in front of all of you. I give you Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Robles." The officiant clapped enthusiastically. "Congratulations once again."

"Yaaaay!" Kajsa clapped her hands and nodded eagerly as she looked at Happy. "My mom's name is Mrs. Anthony Robles now!"

"It's still mom to you though baby girl." Nik kissed her daughter's head and smiled. "Don't give your uncle Happy too much of a headache with all that yelling and clapping my dear."

"Mama." Kajsa waved at the blonde before holding her arms out. "Hugs please mom?"

"Yes my love." She took her daughter, hugging her tightly against her body before peppering her face with kisses. "Now you have my kisses all over your face baby. You look so pretty."

"Kajsa Muse." Anthony smiled as he took his daughter from her mom. "I love you so much. Did you have fun being held by your uncle Hap?"

"Yes." Kajsa nodded as she looked over her dad's shoulder at Happy. "Come on Big Kol, we gotta go to the table." She smiled and waved at him. "Come on Camryn, Kol you come too. Everyone come on, food time!"

Happy pulled Jacey to him and started following Anthony and Nik to the large table they were supposed to be sitting at. "You look damn good right now."

"Oh I bet." She smirked at her husband before she looked forward at Kajsa. "You better quit complimenting me before Kajsa pops you."

"Only compliment me." Kajsa smiled at Happy. "Do you like my flowers in my hair? You see the purple one!? Kol plucked it off the bush and put it there for me. He's my love."

Happy shook his head slowly. "Oh no no no. If I have to stop complimenting my woman, give up the short shit. You can only wear flowers that I give you." He smirked at the toddler. "Look at her."

"I'll get taller then." She smirked at him. "Dad, take me to the doctor, I need pills to make me tall as that tree."

Kol shook his head frantically as he started glaring at his dad. "You better stop talking to my girlfriend. You're being a hoe right now, stop being trifling."

"Kol! Look I still have your flower in my hair baby." Kajsa tapped her dad's arm and giggled as he lowered her to the floor. "What's a hoe Kol?"

Happy shook his head slowly. "Don't even think about it boy. Kajsa ask your mama and aunts."

"Mmm." Kajsa kissed Kol and smiled. "You're my husband now, I'm Mrs. Kol Lowman!"

Kol gasped as he shook his head. "I didn't propose yet! You can't do that yet, I have to propose and give you pretty jewelry, Kajsa Muse."

"I have zero doubts that she won't be spoiled if they get married for real." Jacey smirked as she watched the pair closely. "You can rest easy, Ant."

"Oh. Then I take it back. I will wait 'til you propose." Kajsa nodded as she grabbed Kol's hands. "We're at the beach so you can get out of your suit! My mom says I can splash in the water with her, you wanna join?"

Kol shook his head slowly as he looked back at his dad. "Can I take this chicken suit off and go play with Kajsa Muse?" He poked his bottom lip out as he looked back at Kajsa. "He didn't answer."

"Yes baby, go play. Listen to Dmitri though, if he says come back then do so." Jacey smiled and nodded her head. "Come on Anthony, let's dance and talk."

"Yes, let's dance." Anthony smiled as he held out his hand for Jacey. "What's on your mind?"

Jacey shook her head as she took the man's hand, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. "It's nothing specific or bad, however we did something a little out of the ordinary and you may ground us but a few minutes from our beach house is another gorgeous house, an estate like ours. Happy has the keys to it." She smiled.

"Yeah, I'm grounding you and Happy." He chuckled and shook his head. "Nikola is going to love it though. She's been wanting a beach house for the last year. I looked but I didn't find anything perfect for her."

Jacey laughed and nodded her head. "Hap didn't pick it out. I did, I got some good information about her preferences and I worked some things out but it's ready to finish being furnished and move in. I did buy that adorable appliance set for Nik that we are arguing over at IKEA."

"Well shit." He shook his head again and smiled. "You spoil her as much as Bri does. She's going to love it. Make sure the photographer gets some good shots of her reaction to the surprise."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "The kitchen sets are an apology for never really making myself available for either of you. The house is just a congratulations for marrying the loves of your lives. I'm very happy for you both and I'm even happier that we have all gotten close these last few months."

"You don't have to apologize for that at all." He nodded. "But thanks, I liked having the family around for this. It made Nik happy, I could see it in her eyes. I'm happy we've become close as well. It's been nice for Nik to have someone else to talk to besides me and Brianna."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "Oh no, I'm apologizing. We both were under the impressions that we didn't like each other and that's not true. I love her to death. I always think about her coming to the hospital when Kol was still in there and she hung out with me for a little while." She smiled at the man. "She was the third person to ever hold him. She brought me food to try to get me to eat, she was there and I needed that company. I'm glad we were all here for this too, it was a beautiful ceremony, the vows were beautiful. I'm just happy I got to be apart of this with you two."

"No wonder why Kol had a thing for Nik." He chuckled. "She's a caring person, I love that about her. She just wants the best for everyone she loves. I think that's the most that the rest of the family has heard either of us talk in a while. I don't even think I speak that much while at work."

Jacey laughed. "Probably it. She probably loved on him and he just loved it a lot. He's like Ashtyn, loves the kisses." She smiled at the man. "I'm so happy for you both, if I smile any harder, my face will break."

"That's all she does to Kajsa and Spencer, just kiss them until they get annoyed with it." He shrugged. "She's going to start this hormone therapy soon, see if it can't encourage her eggs to grow or whatever. She's nervous about it and hasn't really talked about it much to anyone. So, I thought I'd let you know, in case she gets moody for some strange reason, you'll know the reason behind it. I know she'll probably open up about it when she's ready to."

Jacey nodded her head. "I won't push her on it. Just let her know I'm here, if she wants to talk about any of it she can. I'm always here for her or you." She smiled at Anthony. "You know Hap is too."

"Oh yeah man, Hap is my boy." Anthony smiled. "We went cruisin' last Sunday. It was nostalgic as hell. Just drivin' along in the Impala, bumpin' some oldies, sippin' on some beers and eating tamales."

The blonde started laughing as she shook her head. "Oh my godd, that's so damn precious. You brats are little best friends and it only took like five years to take place."

"If we had all hung out sooner, then we would've been best friends years ago." He shrugged. "He's cool people, so are you."

Jacey smiled and nodded her head slowly. "And here I was thinking you just didn't like us all of these years."

"I don't just dislike people for no reason. I have to get to know someone first then make that judgement. Most of the suits told me I was going to hate working for Brianna, they called her a stuck up, Russian brat with a cold heart who only cares about herself. If I would've went in with that mindset, with their opinion of her, then I wouldn't have gotten to know her and learn that she's just a sensitive little girl who plays like she's hard." He chuckled. "I like you, I like Happy, I like the kids. You're family."

Jacey laughed a little. "That concerns me then. What's the guys say about me?" She shrugged her shoulders. "The kids love you, Hap definitely loves you. You're damn brothers: never take Kol's antics as anything but love. He likes poking the bears, he's a good mix of me and Hap plus some of my dad for good measure."

"They didn't say much, most of them didn't know you. Igor and Frey said you were cool, Elijah said you were sweet but have a bit of a troublemaker in you." He smiled. "I love Kol, he's a good kid. I however will have to chase after him if he were to ever hurt my daughter. I know that won't be a thing though."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Kol would chase after himself if he hurt her, he's my sweet baby. He does not like hurting anyone's feelings. Pretty sure he was adopted." She smiled.

"Nah, just a gentle giant like your pops." He grinned. "That's where it comes from. He beat himself up over the whole Bri thing. They're just sensitive little things."

"Kol is so sensitive. Hap gets onto him and he's just upset for hours, wants to hide and doesn't want me to leave his side. Pitiful thing." She shrugged her shoulders. "You're a good dancer, Anthony. I didn't expect it. I'm glad we talked though."

"I'm a fantastic dancer, years of attending quinces will do that to a man." Anthony chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad we talked as well. It was nice, sis."

 **.**

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 **.**

"Okay, okay. I want to make a toast." Aleksandr tapped his knife against his champagne flute and smiled out at his friends and family. "Everyone here, thank you for coming. I always love to see us all together, laughing, having fun and just enjoying ourselves. I want to take the time out to say a few words about Nikola and Anthony. I think they're by far the least problematic couple within this family. Don't even bother trying to convince me otherwise, I probably won't entertain any of it."

"I beg to differ." Sariya cleared her throat. "I think we tie with Nikola and Anthony."

"Me and Camryn too" Javier smiled proudly. "Best couple here. Sorry 'bout it _Nik and Ant_."

"Hush." Bri shook her head. "Let dad get emotional and do his toast."

Aleksandr chuckled and nodded. "My dearest Nikola, I do have to say you've made me proud with how far you've come in life. We may not be the closest but we do have a very solid relationship. One that has seen us through even your most difficult times. I've watched you blossom from a lost and confused eighteen year old into a sure and confident twenty-eight year old. You've added to this family, two gorgeous children. The flower that we all call Kajsa and the little quiet flirt Spencer." He smiled at the blonde. "I love you, I am proud of you and I hope you will accept a wedding gift from me."

"That sounded more like bragging on me dad." Nikola hugged the man tightly and smiled up at him. "I love you too and of course I will accept any wedding gift you have for me."

"Okay good." He laughed as he turned her around. "You're not either of your sisters. You're not Jacey, you don't have a thing for Jeeps or Range Rovers. You're not Brianna, you don't have a thirst for a crisp white Audi. I think I may have found you the most _Nikola_ vehicle I could find for you my dear."

"Nothing wrong with Jeeps or Audis old man!" Bri huffed. "Jacey, he's taking shots at us right now."

"Hush." Nikola laughed, waving off her sister as she stared at the gift in front of her. "You bought me a _boat_?" She looked at him before slowly shaking her head. "That's a boat dad, not just any boat but like a yacht."

"Yup." He nodded proudly. "You like water, you love being in the middle of the ocean. Hell, when you were sixteen you ran away to work on a boat before I tracked you down to drag you back home to me."

"I know but wow." Nik eyed the vessel carefully. "Look at it. It's called ' _the Cove'_. Just like the boat I worked on."

"I love you, I pay attention." He hugged his daughter tightly. "I hope you and your family will enjoy it and make memories on it. Don't forget to come back to us, you can't live out in the middle of the ocean forever."

"Cool!" Kajsa giggled. "I wanna go on that boat. Kol, you and I are going on that boat for my birthday."

"Baby." Anthony lifted up Kajsa, pressing a kess to her forehead before he smiled. "I love you so much. I think you're so gorgeous. Aleksandr, thank you man. You really won't be able to get these two off of the water now. We've been borrowing Brianna's boat when we wanted to be out on the water."

"I too have a wedding gift for you." Elijah smiled at the couple. "We've all come a very long way from where we originally started. I've seen the both of you accomplish things that you've set out to do. With that being said, I want to gift you two a vacation. To the Bahamas. I know you probably already have a honeymoon set in stone but I still want to do this for you. All expenses paid, for all four of you."

"Thank you Elijah." Anthony moved towards the man and smiled. "I appreciate that. I'll have my two little mermaids splashing around in the Bahamas once we get back from our first honeymoon." He hugged Elijah and nodded. "It's a lovely gift."

"No, no." Brianna stood up. "I was going to give them another honeymoon as a gift. Elijah, great minds think alike. I got you a honeymoon package to Vegas because of the story you two shared with me about one of your best memories being there and strip club hopping."

"Aw lil sis." Anthony pulled Bri into a hug. "We'll take it too. Three honeymoons. We've cleaned up. Plus all of the other gifts from the rest of you guys. You've spoiled the hell out of us. I don't know what we did to deserve it but I'm glad we have it."

"Yeah." Nikola nodded slowly and smiled. "We're grateful for every single one of you that came out tonight to watch Anthony and I exchange our vows. It's like the second time for us but it's the first time we've had family around to witness it. I've loved that man since the first moment I laid eyes on him, fell so deeply in love with him when he butchered my last name and assumed my first name was Nicole. It's just been an amazing ride and I'm glad that I'm married to my best friend. I wouldn't even know where'd I'd be right now if I weren't with him. Married, two kids, full passports and memories that have been a blast. I know that we're always gone but we do plan on settling in for a while, bless you all with our presence a little more as we figure out if Miss Kajsa here is going to be good with being in preschool, also want Spencer to get to know everyone a little bit better as well."

"Finally." Sariya smiled at Nik. "We want you all around more. I need my all of my grandkids around me. I need Kajsa, she's my little gardening partner and I love it. Spencer, that little chunk. I love his hugs and babbles."

"We get it, we get it." Anthony chuckled. "You guys love us so much that you get separation anxiety when we leave you for an adventure." He winked at his wife. "But yeah, we'll be around more. So, feel free to stop by the house and hang out. We don't bite or anything. I promise."

"Before I start to cry," Nik sighed. "Let's continue to have fun and party. I want more laughter and smiles. Let's keep making memories tonight and tomorrow, we'll still be here. Won't be leaving on the first honeymoon for at least a week. So, let's keep on partying and eating. I love all of you and thank you for being here with us."

* * *

 **I know, I know. Slacking on updates again but I hope you enjoyed this one. Um, I know it wasn't all Bri and Jax but I feel like Anthony and Nik needed their wedding written. I love them as a couple. I also have a HUGE surprise in store for you all. So, stay tuned.**


	97. Seeing Red

**September 3, 2015**

"I don't know what to say right now." Brianna looked down at Creed and shook her head slowly before biting back a smile. "You're covered in red paint from head to toe. How'd that happen and why did you decide to paint yourself in my office? My nice white office, the carpet, the walls, the chairs. Everything, red little handprints all over."

Creed shook his head slowly. "I didn't do it, the twins did it." He nodded as he looked up at her. "I don't have paint on me." He moved to his mom, wrapping his arms around her legs before smiling up at her. "I'm clean."

"Not one bit of paint huh?" She trailed her fingers through his hair and nodded. "Then what's this on my hands huh?"

"You did it!" He gasped before covering his mouth with his hands. "I can't believe you did this mom!"

"Nice try." Bri shook her head as she lifted her son up, resting him on her hip no longer worried about her outfit now that her son had ruined it with his paint. "Where is your dad huh? Why isn't he watching you?"

"Uh." Creed shrugged as he rested his head on his mom's shoulder, his tiny hand going to her face as he stroked her cheek slowly. "I think he's napping."

"Oh." She sighed as she moved out of her office, taking note of the red footprints that further littered her usually immaculate home. "Just travelled everywhere covered in this paint I see. I'm going to hire a maid to clean up this mess." She took the stairs, groaning inwardly as her eyes saw the red paint staining her walls further. "No, I just need to buy a new house now." She walked into the master suite, approaching the bed slowly before popping Jackson's bare chest. "You're in so much trouble, I hope that you know that. No fun for you Jackson Nathaniel Teller…"

"What?" Jackson rubbed his chest, his eyes opening slowly to see his fiancee and there son both covered in red. "What happened!? Are you two hurt!?"

"No, no." She shook her head slowly. "Paint, red paint. Go look at my damn house Jackson. Footprints, handprints, lines, scribbles. My office, he was in my office… My _white_ office. You know the one I love so much. You were supposed to be watching him."

"I thought he was in here napping with us." He gestured to the twins who were cuddled up together. "Where did he get the red paint from?"

"I'm going to assume he got into Monica's arts and crafts." Bri looked down at Creed. "Did you go into your sister's room and touch her things? You better not have gotten any paint in there Creed-." She padded swiftly out of her bedroom and straight into her daughter's room, gasping as she saw the purple paint splattered all over the place. "Jackson Creed Teller-" She shook her head slowly, assessing the damage before wiping at her face. "Not her picture wall... Okay, I can clean this up. I can do this. I can clean this up. See, this is why I can't work. I have to be home with you guys. Bless your dad's soul but he can't be a stay at home dad."

"I'm sorry." Creed looked at his mom's face before kissing her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"It's fine." She nodded as she backed out of the room, moving back to her bedroom and straight into the bathroom. Stripping her son before setting him in the tub and starting the water. "I'll clean you up and then I'll clean up the paint. It'll all be fine."

"I'm sorry Brianna." Jax sat down on the edge of the tub, catching the brunette's face in his hands. "I'll clean up the mess. I really thought he was asleep. Well he was when I was falling asleep."

Bri sighed and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Nothing is important. I just need to see if I can salvage Monica's photo wall. I'm hoping a little water will get the paint off. I think it's just acrylic and will wipe off with water."

"She called me Jackson." Creed looked at his dad. "I'm Creed."

"Because you got into paint but it's not your fault it's my fault." He nodded slowly. "Go, see if you can salvage her pictures. She'll have a fit if she has to start over with it."

"I'm sorry I got mad at you _Creed_." She kissed her son's head. "You finish up getting clean. I'm going to go start on Monica's room."

"Put on one of my shirts, toss the outfit in the wash." Jax kissed the brunette. "Come on, scream at me or something. Lay into me, this silence is killing me babe. I can't deal with you being quiet at all."

She shook her head slowly as she pulled away. "I'm not going to lay into you Jackson. It's fine. The paint can be cleaned up. It's a life lesson, lock the door during naptime or Creed will wander around and make a mess." She smiled. "I will be back in here when I'm done in Monica's room though."

 **.**

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"I couldn't get the paint out of the carpets." Jackson leaned against the doorframe, watching Bri as she made Monica's bed. "We'll just have to replace all of it. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I don't care about the carpet." Bri shook her head as she sat down on the foot of the bed. "I just cared about getting Monica's room back in perfect condition. I managed to salvage all of the pictures. Turns out she laminated the pictures so the paint wiped right off. Her carpet is ruined and so is her old bedding but that's easily replaceable. Maybe it's time to go in a kid friendly direction with the carpet. No more white."

"Come here, you look tired." He held out his hands for her and smiled. "You need to shower and lay down."

"I am tired." She moved to the man, letting her body go slack against him. "I am even too tired to shower Jackson. I smell but all I wanna do is curl up in bed and sleep."

"You smell like lemon cleaner and paint." He wrapped his arms around her and led her to their bedroom. "We can cuddle up and sleep. Or we can just take a nice and slow shower."

"Will you play in my hair in the shower?" She looked up at him and smiled. "I could really use that right now."

"Anything you want baby." He nodded slowly. "All of that hair of yours. I love it."

"I love you." She murmured as she pulled off the oversized shirt once they were in the bathroom. "I had the worst day at work. So, I am really sorry for getting upset with you and the baby."

"Talk to me, tell me what's wrong." He helped her into the shower and smiled. "Who pissed you off? Who was slacking?"

"I pissed myself off. I just couldn't focus for some reason. My head was everywhere else. I had to just step back and let mom deal with it." She sighed as she rested her back against his chest. "Like I couldn't get my shit together. I couldn't even perform an abortion today. I had to have another doctor come in and do it for me."

"You gotta slow down, too much on your plate." He shook his head slowly. "How many times do I gotta tell you that?"

"A thousand more times." She chuckled as she felt his fingers tangle into her hair. "I'm trying to slow down believe me. I'm taking the next week off. I just need a mini vacation from work. I need to like be lazy for once."

"I think you should go next door and bug your two best friends." He looked down at the brunette as he continued to massage her scalp. "You're always relaxed when you're around them. You don't wanna be Happy's best friend anymore or what?"

"No." She shook her head and sighed. "Going to therapy just like made me realize the fact that I'm not a good best friend to Happy. I did a background check on him when I could've simply gotten to know him and questioned him that way. I just feel super guilty by the whole situation and I don't know if I'll ever just want to be his best friend like old times."

"Well, I think that's something you need to talk to him about then. You can't just ignore him, he's kinda an important part of your life because of Monica." Jax shrugged his shoulders as he turned them around so the brunette was now under the water. "Plus, you keep talking about tattoos, he'd be the one to go to for those."

"You sound like Dr. Dallas." Bri sighed as she turned around, wrapping her arms around Jackson. "It's kinda sexy to be honest though."

"You didn't even let me finish the playing in your hair." He dropped his hands to her waist, stilling them there for a few seconds before they moved to her ass, giving it a rough squeeze as he smiled down at her. "You want something else?" He inhaled sharply as he felt her hand slowly stroking his cock.

"I do." She nodded slowly as she backed him against the wall, her lips on his neck as she continued the stroking, her thumb massaging the thick mushroom tip. "You know I always want and need you Jackson. That's what got us three handsome little boys…" She murmured against his skin.

He nodded slowly, his hands tangling into her hair as he caught her lips in a rough kiss, his tongue snaking its way into her mouth, wrestling with her eager tongue. "I want you too." He rested his forehead against hers before slowly pushing down on her shoulders, watching her settle on her knees. His eyes settling on her lips as they wrapped around his member, sucking him into her mouth slowly. "Fuck…"

Bri moaned around his member, taking him further down her throat as she started to bob her head, her hands resting on his thighs before she started to massage his balls. Knowing that was he highly enjoyed. "Mmm." She moaned softly, her tongue flat on the underside of his cock, teasing the sensitive skin as she continued to move her head back and forth, taking him further and further each time, before bottoming out, her nose bumping up against his body.

"Damn." He studied the brunette's face carefully, bucking his hips slightly as he kept his hands tangled in her hair. "You're so damn good at this, you need to do it more often." He leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he started to buck his hips more aggressively before he couldn't take it any longer. He pulled her head off his cock, pulling her roughly to her feet before turning her around and bending her over, thrusting roughly into her center.

"Thought you were enjoying that." She moaned loudly, pushing back against the man as she felt him pull on her hair roughly. "Fuck Jackson, you're so damn good at this you need to do it more often." She smirked at him before closing her eyes, basking in the feeling of the man filling her. "God."

"You're perfect." He mumbled, keeping the brunette against him as he moved out of the shower, bending her back over the sink. "I can't get enough of you." He pressed a kiss to her shoulder blades. "I hope you know that."

"I do." She nodded slowly as she gripped the edge of the countertop, her eyes focused on the mirror, on their reflection. The hunger and primal need darkening Jackson's eyes as she locked in on his face. "I'm getting so damn close…"

He grunted in acknowledgement, his pace picking up as he continued to slam into the brunette, feeling her warmth and wetness enveloped him each time he buried himself to the hilt. "Fuck." He mumbled, his fingers digging into her hips. "So damn wet and perfect…"

Bri rested her head on the counter, letting her orgasm roll over her, as she braced herself against the counter. Keeping her knees from buckling. "Fuck, fuck." She moaned loudly, feeling her body tense up as she came hard. "Fuck Jackson."

Jackson kept his eyes on their reflection, watching as the brunette's face twisted up in pleasure as he continued to slam into her, bringing himself closer to his own climax. "God, you feel so fucking good when you cum for me baby." He moved a hand up her body, wrapping it around her neck, his free hand still on her hip as he slammed into her relentlessly. "Fuck." He moaned lowly, emptying his seed into the brunette before stilling himself.

"Needed that so much." She mumbled as she pushed the man away, turning to look at him before wrapping her arms around his waist loosely. "Really need that shower now though. So come on, right back in we go."


	98. Baby!

**October 1, 2015**

"She's so perfect." Brianna looked down at the tiny little blonde baby and smiled brightly. "I would kill you for keeping her a secret but I'm so in love with her." She trailed a nail safely over the bridge of the sleeping newborn's nose and sighed. "So, what's her name and can I steal her from you two?"

"No you cannot steal her from us." Nik popped her sister's thigh and shook her head slowly. "We didn't tell anyone about her. We didn't even know if it'd all work out but it did. The surrogate was amazing and she was worth every single dollar that we spent."

"No, no. You and Ant just wanted to keep her from me because you know how I am with babies!" The brunette whined as she rested her forehead against the baby's. "I love her so damn much already and I've only known her for like the last fifteen minutes of my life. Just tell me her name already. I need to go get her something cute and personalized and I can't do that without a name."

Anthony looked at his sister-in-law and laughed. "Katarzyna Milena Robles. After her favorite woman and after my favorite woman."

"No!" She gasped and looked at the couple before looking down at the little baby. "Katarzyna, my little love. I cannot believe this is happening. I cannot believe that I have a baby named after me. Little Katarzyna, I'm going to love you as much as I love myself and that's a whole lot. A little blonde Katarzyna."

"Yes." Nik chuckled as she nodded her head slowly. "Her name is Katarzyna, middle name is Milena because of Ant's mom. She's perfect though huh? You should see Kajsa and Spencer with her, it's cute. Spencer is protective while Kajsa keeps asking when we're going to give her back to the stork."

"I don't like her." Kajsa peeked out from behind her dad's legs and scowled. "I'm 'posed to be the only little princess here. Now she's here and I'm not the only princess."

"That's exactly how I felt when my mom brought Nik home." Bri winked at Kajsa before holding out a hand. "But at least you're the only Princess Kajsa, no one can take that away from you at all."

"I got a new flower." Kajsa smiled as she held up the vase. "What's it called again daddy?"

"A succulent." Anthony picked up Kajsa and kissed her face. "My gorgeous baby girl Kajsa. You and your sister will be best friends. I promise."

"It's cute huh?" She nodded eagerly as she looked at her aunt. "You can get one too, they have lots at the nursery."

"I want some." Bri smiled. "Will you help me plant a succulent garden Miss Kajsa?"

"Of course Queen B." She giggled and nodded eagerly. "I'll help you. I'm gonna help her." Kajsa rested her face against her dad's and yawned. "Nap time though daddy."

"She has him trained." Nik chuckled. "She always gets him down for the nap but she ends up wide awake and just putting flowers in his beard. It's the cutest thing though, she's all about her dad."

"I'm stealing this one." Brianna shook her head slowly. "I want her so badly, this is making me want to get my procedure reversed then go get knocked up. I want a little blonde baby girl too. This isn't fair."

"No babies." Kajsa shook her head. "No more babies. No, no, no."

"Fine, no more babies." She smiled. "But I am going to steal Milena away, this is my little girl. I love that you named her Katarzyna but I cannot sentence her to the difficulty of that name. Especially people butchering it. Plus, I think Milena is more sentimental to you both. I can see it in Anthony's eyes. Baby Milena, Mil, Lena, Lee."

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"Jackson!" Brianna walked into the master suite, shedding her clothes as she made her way to her soon to be husband. "Babe, you won't fucking believe what I did today, just guess."

"You worked." He smirked at her as he held his arms open for her. "You shopped, you wore your sexy red lingerie set…"

"I met my niece." She smiled as she fell into his arms. "A new niece, her name is Katarzyna Milena Robles. Sneaky ass Anthony and Nikola went off and did a surrogacy and it was successful. Like the eggs she had frozen when she was like a teen, were alive and well enough to produce a cute little perfect baby girl. Big blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. I'm so in love with her, so, so, so damn in love with her."

"Nik has like another daughter?" He shook his head slowly. "You know what that means right? You're officially the only sister that has one daughter, while Jacey and Nik both have two little girls."

"Do not remind me." She huffed as she traced the tattoo on his arm. "It gave me the biggest case of baby fever. Like, holding that baby girl, I want another little baby girl of my own. I want us to have a daughter together but I don't know if it can happen if my procedure is reversed."

"You should talk to your mom about it, you know I really want a daughter." He squeezed her ass and smirked. "We can at least practice for it right? Make sure we still have what it takes to make a baby?"

"Dad!" Creed ran into the room and giggled as he tried to climb up on the bed. "Noah took his diaper off!"

"Cock block." Jax laughed as he covered the brunette up. "Why is Noah in your room huh? You break him out of jail again?"

"Um, no." He shrugged as he jumped onto Jackson. "He escaped himself, him and Mason! We're having a sleepover."

"I love you." Jax smiled at his son. "Go grab your brother and I'll put a new diaper on him."

"I love you too dad." Creed wrapped around the man and smiled. "You come with us, boys night."

"You heard him baby, boys night." Brianna smirked at the pair. "Go on, have your fun we can practice tomorrow. We can even do it like old times, in my office at the clinic." She winked at him. "Go have fun with your three little boys. I'm gonna shower then check on Javi and Monica, see if they're feeling better yet."

"They were asleep when I checked on them last, cuddled up in Monica's bed." Jax kissed the brunette and grinned. "We'll see you in the morning then. Don't try to interrupt our boys night either. No girls allowed, right Creed?"

"Right!" Creed nodded eagerly before blowing a kiss to his mom. "No girls mom. Bye!"

"Love you too baby." Bri shook her head slowly before relaxing into her bed. "You have fun, make sure Noah didn't pee in Creed's bed before you guys try to lay in it."

 **October 14, 2015**

"I got all As!" Monica waved her report card in front of her grandparents' faces and smiled proudly. "Remember what you promised if I got all As on my report card? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Yes, I remember what I promised you." Aleksandr snatched the piece of paper, looking it over closely before passing it to Sariya. "She did it, she got all As. That means we have to keep up with our part of the deal."

"I'm proud of you." Sariya pulled Monica into a hug. "I knew you had it in you, even if it took a bit of bribery. I hope you continue on this path though my dear. You're too smart to be doing poorly in your classes. Can't get into art school just on your talent alone."

"I know, I know. I even got put on honor roll, so I wanna keep up with that." Monica smiled. "So, let's do it right? You're going to let me take cute ass pictures of you two love birds."

"Watch your language." Sariya popped Monica's mouth. "Nothing worse than a pretty girl with a foul mouth."

"Sorry." She shrugged as she started pulling her camera out of her bag. "But, you two just act natural. I'm just gonna be taking some candid pictures. Pretend like I'm not even here."

Aleksandr shook his head slowly. "How can we pretend you're not here when you're bossing us around like your mom?" He winked at the teen.

Sariya shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Let her have her fun. She's excited about this, she made the grades, so we're going to keep our side of the promise. You heard her though, just be natural. Go naturally sit in your recliner and sip on a glass of scotch."

"She reminds me of the perfect mix of Brianna and what I think a teenage Jacey would be. The sass and the bossiness from Bri, the need for art and calm from Jacey." He smiled as he sank into his oversized leather recliner. "It's kind of nice, I'm glad she's in a much better place than she was a year or so ago."

"I wish I would've been able to raise both girls up." She slid into the recliner with Aleksandr and smiled brightly. "I think it would've been fun, raising them, even more fun if Nik were included. They all needed a mother growing up, especially Brianna and Jacey. I think Nik had more of a mother figure."

"Nik had her mom. Brianna didn't have that luxury, their mom sort of checked out for a bit there. Viktor wasn't the most faithful of men, he had gotten two other women pregnant around the same time she was pregnant with Brianna. So, it was a nanny who was bringing up Brianna when I came and stepped in. I don't think she's even aware that she has half sisters over in Russia."

Monica shook her head slowly. "You two are so cute, look at these cute pictures. You look so in love when you're looking at each other."

"I love these pictures." Sariya smiled as she scrolled through the gallery. "I didn't even know that we looked at each other like this. I can see the love in these pictures. You've got a real talent my baby."

"Dad!" Brianna walked into the house, sliding into the living room before stopping herself. "Why are your floors so waxed huh?" She shook her head slowly before dropping onto the sofa. "Look at my face, I was giving some bratty little asshole a shot and he kicked me straight in the face when I went to put a bandaid on him."

"Baby." Sariya sighed as she moved to Brianna, taking her face in her hands. "Your nose is broken. Have you reset it yet?"

"No." She shook her head slowly. "I haven't reset it. All I did was ice it. Reset it for me."

"Okay." The woman nodded slowly as she stood up. "Come on, let's go to my office. Monica, I'm going to need your help, you too Aleksandr."

"I'm documenting this." Monica smiled. "Mom, you look so bad right now. You look like a grown man hit you in the face."

"I'm aware of what I look like." Bri sighed as she sat on her mom's desk. "Did your dad drop you off over here?"

"I picked her up." Aleksandr smiled. "We had made a promise, if she got straight As, we'd let her take our pictures."

"Shit, I didn't mean to interrupt that." She shook her head. "I'm sorry Monkey. I'll get this reset then be out of your hair."

"This is cool though." Monica smiled. "Getting some good candid shots of you and your parents. I like it. I really want some of us and dad."

"We can do something like that, during a family get together. Jacey can be the secret photographer." Bri smiled back at her daughter. "If I pass out, make sure to get a picture of my good side, alright."

"Three." Sariya smirked as she reset her daughter's nose, watching her pass out before Aleksandr scooped her up. "Put her on the sofa, I'm going to bandage her up and she'll wake up bratty and groggy."

"She's gonna try to fight you for that." Aleksandr chuckled as he settled his daughter onto the sofa. "She's going to be bruised up real nice. It's going to be a mess for her, for a good few days. She bruises easily and the bruising lasts a long while."

"So, is it true?" Monica hugged her grandfather. "Does she really have half siblings somewhere out in the world?"

"Yeah, she does but hey, she doesn't need to know it. Her parents would've told her about it if it had been important." He lifted Monica up and kissed her forehead. "You too old to be carried around?"

"Nope." she shook her head slowly. "I'm called Monkey for a reason."

* * *

 **AN: I don't know if anyone is still reading this story. I know the last few chapters have been complete and total busts. I'm at a loss for it. I have so many ideas for this story and these characters but I just want to know if there are still readers out there, otherwise I'll just keep on writing this for myself and just abandon updating this story for good.**

 **like honestly, if you followed or checked out my blog once in a while, you'd be excited for the upcoming plots for this story. like the next generation, when they come to the forefront, man oh man is it going to be some fun times and lots of headaches for the parents.**


	99. Fighting

**October 12, 2015**

"Holy shit, you are such an asshole." Brianna Hohrykova growled as she looked over at fiance Jackson before rolling her eyes in disgust. "You're about twelve hours late for the appointment you were supposed to be at with me. I had to reschedule and you don't even look like you even care that you were late or you stumbled through the house drunk as all hell, smelling like you rolled through a marijuana field."

Jax squinted his eyes, trying his best to keep his smile from showing up. He didn't forget about the appointment, he simply needed to miss it because it was Friday, it was a party night and as president he couldn't leave. It just wasn't right. "It's no big deal, we can do that any old time. Why is it so important for us to do it now? The wedding is still two months away."

"Because these things take time and I would like to have rings that actually fit on our wedding day and not afterwards Jackson." She tossed a pillow at him, watching him flinch as it hit his face and dropped straight to his feet. "Why don't you even care about this? Do you not wanna get married?"

 _No_. He thought to himself before shaking his head slowly. "I do wanna get married Brianna. I couldn't just leave. I had shit to do around the club and as president, I can't just walk out for a few hours and lollygag when I have visiting charters. It doesn't look good."

"It would have taken less than an hour!" She threw another pillow at him before moving standing up and grabbing her robe. "You sleep alone. I'm going to crash in Monica's room."

"You're overreacting, are you on your period or something?" He groaned as he felt her hand collide with his face. "We can go do the sizing on Monday. It's not a big deal Brianna, it'll be okay."

"You're such a fucking jerk Jackson." She wiped at her face before tying her robe closed. "I don't even wanna look at you right now. I'll talk to you tomorrow, whenever you wake up and are fucking sober and not a rude ass little immature shithead. I'm not on my period either, I'm just fed up because I haven't asked anything of you really, like an hour of your time would've been too much because your club is more important than me or you family. Be careful, your true colors are starting to fucking show."

"Brianna." He grabbed her arm, only to be rebuffed and stumble back towards the bed. "Brianna, I'm sorry…"

"I don't wanna fucking hear it." She waved him off. "Like I said, I'll talk to you whenever you sober the fuck up and mature the fuck up." She moved around him. "Make sure you strip the bed and throw everything in the laundry room when you wake up later."

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"I don't even wanna deal with it. I haven't had enough sleep at all." Brianna murmured softly as she looked at her laptop and shook her head. "I don't care if she's a returning patient, I'm just not dealing with her shit today. I don't get paid enough to put up with an idiotic patient who thinks that I somehow jinxed her with a set of twins when she was already pregnant with twins during her visit to the clinic. I also can't deal with the fact she's blaming me for it being twin girls and not the boys her ex wanted. I don't care Dr. Kournikova, I really don't fucking give a damn. Let's entertain her bullshit lawsuit and sue her for every last dime that she has. I want a countersuit, she's causing me pain, she's slandering my name and my business. I don't want to relax, you relax."

"Relax." Jax walked into the kitchen and flashed the brunette a smile. "I'm sober and more mature."

"I doubt that, I highly doubt six hours of sleep sobered you up and matured you out." She ended the call and set her phone on the counter before looking up at the man and shaking her head slowly. "You still smell like beer, you should go shower. Coffee is fresh, grab a cup. I'm going to take the kids and spend the day exploring."

"I'll go with you guys." He nodded slowly as he grabbed a mug and moved to the coffee machine. "It'll be fun."

"Oh, what?" She feigned surprise. "The president of SAMCRO is putting his club on the back burner for a day, I have to be dreaming, someone pinch me. This isn't real at all. It can't be. I don't know him to be such a selfless person when it comes to his club."

"You need to check that goddamn attitude." He growled as he stalked towards her, his eyes narrowing into a glare as his mouth tightened up. "You knew who I was when you fell in love. Take it or leave it Brianna."

"Or what?" She looked up at him and shrugged. "You make the call. Marriage on or off Jackson? Let me know by the end of next week. Shall we proceed or shall we split up and you go back to your club?"

"You're being childish." He watched her stand up carefully before he set his coffee down and backed her up against the wall, smacking it with his hand. "Check the fucking attitude Brianna. You're being a fucking brat and it's not a good look on you. Nothing worse than a gorgeous girl with a shitty attitude."

"Don't touch me like that." Bri shoved Jax backwards and moved away from him before grabbing her laptop and looking at him. "I don't have an attitude, I'm sleepy and I'm annoyed with you. You try watching all of the kids and a real career. You know what? The kids are yours for the day since you offered up not going into the club. You watch them, you feed them, you have _all_ of them. The cranky teenager too. The one who's got an attitude and is on her period. Have fun with that Jackson. Keep that deadline in mind though…"

"Mom, where's the heating pad?" Monica walked into the kitchen and rolled her eyes at the pair. "I have cramps."

"I don't know, have Jax help you find it, he's in charge today." She kissed her daughter's head. "Only call me if someone is hurt."

"Ugh!" She groaned as she looked at her mom before at Jackson. "Help me find the heating pad, I'm dying here Jackson. I'm not playing, don't make me call my dad and tell him you're torturing me."

"Seriously?" He looked at Monica before watching Brianna disappear out of the kitchen. "I think it's in your mom's office, if not there, then look in your night stand's bottom drawer. You're the only one who even uses it."

"Oh yeah huh?" Monica shrugged as she moved out of the kitchen and back towards the stairs. "I guess this is a good time to let you know that the twins made a mess of their room."

"What do you mean they made a mess of their room?" Jax followed behind the teen and shook his head slowly. "Do I even wanna go in there?"

"I would glove up, wear a hazmat suit or something." She looked back at him and shrugged again. "They made a shitty mess of their room and you get to clean it all up. I was gonna tell mom but it looks like you pissed her off and sent her running."

"No…" He shook his head slowly before moving towards his youngest children's room, before opening the door and shaking his head slowly. "What did you guys do?"

"Uh oh." Noah giggled as he hid behind Mason and shook his head. "Uh oh, daddy."

"Yeah, uh oh." He covered his face before shaking his head again. "You guys shit everywhere." He moved towards the twins, lifting them up carefully before moving towards the bathroom and sighing. "You're both in trouble."

"Mama." Mason poked his bottom lip out and shook his head. "Where mama at?"

"She went bye bye." He started the bath water before he stripped them out of their soiled clothes. "Just had to turn into shitty Picassos huh?" He shook his head, trying to figure out what to do next. "You two bathe, I'll put you in the room with Creed and Javier. Then I'll clean."

"No, no." Noah shook his head slowly. "Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama!"

"She's not here." He sighed as he started the bath water. "She will be back though, she had to go to work or something. I'm not sure. I didn't ask her because I got mad at her."

"Ew!" Javier walked up behind Jax and shook his head before pinching his nose. "I think the twins pooped everywhere! I'm hungry though, can you make me some chicken strips and fries? Monica said your on kid duty today."

"Let me finish this first." Jax looked at Javier and nodded slowly. "Your mom went to work or something. She didn't feed you at all?"

"We had breakfast." Javier shrugged as he looked at his brothers. "It's lunchtime now, duh Jackson."

"Alright, wait in the kitchen. I need to fix this." He sighed. "It won't take long at all. I just need to get them clean, then I'll feed you guys and then clean up the room."

"Call in grandma." He huffed. "You need help Jackson! I'm gonna starve before you get all the poop off them!"

"I got this." Jax nodded slowly. "Go wait in the kitchen, grab Creed. I'll be down soon. I don't need to call in grandma."

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"Thought you didn't need to call in grandma?" Javier looked at Jax before smiling at the man. "Mom is gonna be so mad at you too."

"You're just now feeding us." Monica sat down at the dinner table and grabbed the bottle of ketchup, drizzling it over the pile of fries that were on her plate. "Do not judge me, I have to eat more than normal. My body is shedding a lining and that takes a whole lot of energy and I need these fries."

"Behave." Sariya tapped on Monica's shoulder. "Nothing wrong with him calling in some help. He needed it, we had a lot to tackle in here. We had to deep clean the twins' room."

"I'm just saying, it's like four and we're just now eating lunch." She shrugged her shoulders as she flipped her hair. "Let's just settle it now, Jax would be lost without a woman's guidance."

"I take offense to that." Jax looked over at the brunette and shook his head slowly. "Don't you have to show some respect towards me. I think your dad would tear your head off if he heard you disrespecting an elder."

"Um, I was just saying you need a woman's help. It's an observation not a form of disrespect." Monica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Can't even take some criticism."

"Why don't you take your food and your smart ass mouth to your goddamn room." He growled at the teen. "Your mom may take your shit but I'm not going to. Come back down when your attitude is adjusted. Both you and your mom are trying me badly today and I'm at my witsend. You try dealing with four kids."

Monica blinked at the man before standing up and grabbing her plate. "At least you have your looks going for you because I don't know so much about the smarts." She stuck her tongue out at him before moving out of the dining room."

"Five kids." Sariya cleared her throat. "Five and to think you and Brianna wanted to add a little girl into the mix." She shook her head slowly. "I don't know why you and Brianna got into it but fix it. Don't go to bed angry. It's not a good thing."

"He came home drunk, high, missed a ring fitting appointment and I got upset because it was important to me that we get it done." Brianna set her bag down on the counter before moving to her sons and kissing their heads. "I've missed my babies so damn much. Hi my loves. I missed all of your faces."

"He was mean to my sister." Javier looked up at his mom. "He sent her to her room and told her to adjust her attitude. He said you're trying him badly and he can't count to five mom."

"Creed's sick." She pointed to her son. "He's getting red on his face and he's barely touched his food. Jax, please go put him down in his bed. I'll bring up some medicine and orange juice in a little bit."

"I can do it." Sariya nodded slowly. "You two need to obviously talk. Don't go to sleep angry tonight."

"The kids were a handful." Jax spoke up once Sariya was out of the kitchen. "First Monica and her need for the heating pad, then I went to the twins' room and they had shit literally everywhere possible in there, then Javier wanted chicken tenders and fries, I had no idea where to begin. I didn't even notice that my own kid was sick. I don't know how you do this on a day to day basis and manage to still maintain your career."

"Oh, I'm well aware of how much of a handful they are." She shrugged as she sat down. "I love them, so it's worth it at the end of the day. Monica is a moody teenager, she's going to pop off at the mouth and I usually let Happy handle it because she responds better to his punishments than mine, Javier is grumpy when it gets close to lunch, that's just how his dad was too, Creed won't tell you if he's sick, he's a mama's boy and I wish I could say the shit thing was a first for the twins but it wasn't. You sometimes get so wrapped up in your club that you miss out on all of this stuff."

"I may have snapped at Monica, so I do need to talk to her but sometimes she comes off so disrespectful and I can't excuse that and I won't fucking deal with it. Teenager or not." He shook his head slowly. "How come you make it look so damn easy?"

"I'm mom, I'm supposed to make it look easier than what it is. I just know what I need to do to keep each of them happy. The twins will sit and eat grapes while watching this weird Russian kids' show, Javier just needs an apple and he's content with watching those weird dinosaur videos online, Creed, he just wants to follow you around and watch what you're doing and onica, well we just let her roam like a wild animal because when she's on her period, her medicine seems to be a little less effective because of her hormonal spikes. So, yeah, you're gonna wanna rip her trachea out because she said something insulting and you can't do it because then I'd be dead and the family would fall apart. Parenting isn't the easiest thing, if it were, everyone would be doing it." She shrugged her shoulders as she pulled her hair up into a topknot and smiled. "Jacey taught me that year ago but I'm finally putting it to use. Her little infamous topknot."

"I love you Brianna and I'm sorry that I lost it with you earlier and I'm sorry for skipping out on that appointment." He move towards her, wrapping his arms around her before kissing her cheek. "I'll never take what you do around her for granted and I now know why it does take you nearly two hours to get everyone ready to even start their day."

"I love you too." She smiled and shrugged. "Honestly, today I would've just thrown in the towel and let the twins walk around in their diapers, Creed in whatever he picked and Javi in his diapers. Monica would've stayed wrapped in the blanket she stole from her dad." She chuckled. "Welcome to actual parenthood Jax, it's about time that you've joined in on the fun."

* * *

 **It's been like what? Two months since I've updated this story but I have good reason. Lack of support and I just don't know how to please you all anymore. I'm writing for myself at this point and I know some of you like it and I know some don't. I only know that because of reviews and unfollows/unfaves. So, to those who like it, much love and a million thanks, to those who don't like it, make some suggestions on what you'd like to see. I know where this story is going and it's pretty much over in my notes but I'm still up for writing a sequel if you guys give enough support and show interest in it still.**

 **Also, this was kind of a filler because things are gonna start getting intense for Jax and Brianna. So stay tuned.**


	100. Shattered

**October 19, 2015**

"I've got a slutty princess Leia, a werewolf, an adorable Prince Charming and two, count them two, baby Sons. Yes, Mason and Noah are dressed up as if they're going to be running off to Charming with their dad. I thought Creed would be a Son for Halloween but he wanted to be Prince Charming because his little friend Kajsa is a Princess and Kol decided to dress up as his grandpa." Brianna chuckled as she finished applying her eyeliner and looked over at her mom and shrugged. "I told Monica one her dad sees her, she'll be getting her ass kicked and sent off to Serbia."

"I think that we need to take a few moments and talk…" Sariya looked at the brunette carefully. "I want to know if you and Jackson talked things out and are good now?"

"We talked and we're alright but I don't think we're good." She shook her head slowly as she zipped up her makeup bag and tossed it onto the vanity. "It's just a mess. I don't know what's wrong with him but it's like one day he's perfect and the next he's some man I don't even really know. I'm struggling here and I'm trying my hardest to figure out if the wedding should go on or if it should be postponed indefinitely. It just sucks, alright?"

"Don't rush it Katarzyna." The older woman nodded her head slowly. "If it doesn't feel right, getting married in December, then you need to hold off. See if you can't improve the relationship before you make such a huge commitment."

"We already made a huge commitment. We have three kids together, whether we end up married or not, we're stuck with each other for life because of those three little maniacs." She waved her hands in front of her face and sighed. "It's dumb. I know it's dumb. I just did my makeup and now I'm getting ready to mess it up. Hopefully it's actually waterproof."

"Don't cry, talking about this shouldn't make you cry." Sariya pulled the brunette into a tight hug and smiled. "You'll be fine baby. You're going to figure it all out and it's going to make the decision easier. I just don't want you to get married and end up divorced because it isn't an equal relationship. He wanted kids and he should be able to handle them all without help. Parenting isn't easy, if it was then everyone would do it. He called me because he couldn't handle it. He should at least be good with his three."

"But it's too much. I'm starting to realize he's not good with kids whatsoever mom. Like he can only handle them for so long and I think if his mom were still alive, that he'd call her in to help him. He's good with them when I'm around and they usually get tired of him and want me." She chuckled softly. "Thankfully, thankfully I can't pop anymore kids out."

She nodded slowly. "Some men are just cut out to make kids and not raise them. Can't win with them all baby."

"It's infuriating because Juice even does better with Javier and he used to do really well with Monica. He just was shit with me." She laughed as she dropped to the floor and rubbed her nose. "You know, my face is this bruised still and Jax still hasn't asked me what happened to me at all. I just love him so much, I don't want this relationship to fail. I don't know if I can survive another failed relationship."

"You can pretty much survive anything if you set your mind to it." Sariya sat down beside Bri and kissed her temple. "Men are oblivious sometimes. It takes a huge wake up call for some men to open their eyes and realize what's going on."

"Yeah but like strangers have asked me what happened to my face." She laughed as she covered up her face and shook her head. "I don't even know what's wrong with me right now. I can't be emotional right now. I don't have the time to go through all of this. I have to get to work in a few hours. I still need to finish up paperwork and I still need to feed the kids."

"Deep breath." Sariya grabbed the brunette's hands and pulled them off of her face. "You need to take it easy. You need to relax and you need to stop trying to juggle a million and one things. I want you to take today off. I'll get the business side of things taken care of and everything will be perfectly fine."

"I'm having a panic attack." Brianna shook her head slowly as she pressed on her chest. "I've seriously spazzed out and now I'm having a panic attack. Like I haven't had ones since I was like fifteen and had to confront Juice about him being a cheating fucktard."

"Yeah, well, deep breaths, focus on my voice and nothing else. You'll be fine, I promise. I really know that you won't be anything less than fine my love." Sariya rubbed the brunette's cheeks and smiled. "I won't freak you out anymore but I think you have a nice bump forming on the bridge of your nose. You can always fix it and it can be perfectly perfect."

"I'm tired of striving for perfection, there's no such thing and I keep chasing after it." She shrugged her shoulders. "No perfect nose, no perfect body, no perfect family, no perfect home or anything else. This is where you commend me for coming to terms with reality and praise me for giving up an unrealistic dream. We're dysfunctional and it works. I also really miss my sister so much."

"Not unrealistic. You have your views on life and the way things should be but I won't say it gets a little bit upsetting when you get down on yourself because it doesn't always work out the way you want it to be. You have to take a few breaths before you jump into things sometimes my love." Sariya shrugged and grinned. "Look, the panic attack has subsided and now you can relax and get the kids fed while I handle all of the paperwork."

"Mama!" Noah ran into the room and straight towards his mom, wrapping his tiny arms around her head. "Mama."

"Noah." Bri hugged him tightly and kissed his face. "Noah Butt, what have you done huh? Who you running from today? Javi or Monica?"

"Uh oh." He shook his head as he felt himself being pulled away from his mom. "Pap!"

"Pap?" Aleksandr chuckled as he lifted the little boy up above his head. "New one, I don't mind it but he's in trouble! I brought over food. I was hungry and I got an earful from a thirteen year old girl the last time I came over and just brought food for myself. So, everyone has food. Noah fed his fries to the fish…"

"Yeah, he likes to feed his fishies and Mason likes to feed me whatever food he doesn't eat." She shrugged. "It's fine, the fish will live and you can pop his little booty for not listening to you. Did you leave Mase unattended? I want you all to know that he's worse than Noah and that's saying a lot. Don't let his silence or shyness fool you."

"Shit." He grumbled as he heard the sound of glass breaking. "Mason!"

"Fuck!" Brianna hopped up, rushing out of her room to get to her son as she took in the sight of the smashed living room window. "He did not do that! Get to the armory and lock everyone down. _Now_."

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"Someone put a high caliber bullet through my living room window. Where my child was standing! He is cut up! My baby is hurt and we have no idea who did that. That was bulletproof material and yet it shattered like it was a cheap piece of plate glass." Brianna growled as she looked at the table of suits. "I want to figure out who did this shit and I want it figured out as soon as possible because I won't be able to sleep or go back to my _home_."

"We will figure it out." Aleksandr nodded his head slowly as he looked at his daughter. "It won't take too much. Not many people have access to such a powerful weapon."

"My child is hurt. My child is scared and I need to lock the fortress down. What is the point of me calling it that if it is failing to live up to its name?" She dropped to her chair and wiped at her eyes. "My children are _my_ _everything_. I don't care what happens to me as long as those little brats are safe and secure. My son is hurt. He need stitches. Not because he was dumb and hurt himself because someone else hurt him. An adult hurt him."

"We'll surely get to the bottom of this." Elijah looked the the brunette carefully before nodding his head. "Brianna, I assure you, that you have nothing to fear. We will protect you at all costs. We will fix your home and you have to stand your ground, let whoever know that you won't be scared off from your own home."

"I don't care about standing my ground Elijah. I care about providing a safe home for my children." She looked at the man and shrugged. "That's all I want, for them to be safe and for them not to have to live in any sort of fear. Mason was distraught, it took me an hour to get him to settle down so my mom could check him over and work her magic. I love my children and I can't have this shit."

"We will get it safe and we will find out who did this." Igor looked at the brunette and nodded slowly. "I won't let anyone get away with terrorizing you and your children Brianna. I give you my word."

"Good." She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears before sighing. "Thank you all. I really don't thank all of you enough for what you do for my family but I need you all to know that I do love and respect each and every single one of you. Even more so on days like these." She offered up a soft smile before turning around. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a man to hunt down and smack around."

"Brianna," Aleksandr grabbed his daughter's elbow, slowing her down till they fell into step together. "Slow it down. Jackson is probably busy with his club."

"I don't give a damn." She shook her head, swinging around to look up at her dad. " _Our_ son is hurt. Our son is scared. Our son got caught up in some stupid ass crossfire and I need to know if him and his club pissed someone off because last time I checked, we didn't have anyone on our bad side dad. We're good with everyone except the Irish but we've never been good with the Irish. So, I need to know if this was because of Jackson's club because it makes no sense for someone to randomly go after us."

"Breathe, breathe." He nodded slowly as he pulled her into a hug. "You need to relax and I can guarantee that we did nothing to piss anyone off. I reached out to everyone, we're all good. I need you to go to my home, I had your mom cook and prepare the rooms for you guys. Go there and we'll work on getting the Fortress into top shape again."

 **.**

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"Where is she?" Jackson walked into the house, toeing off his sneakers and kicking them aside as he looked at Sariya. "I was out of town, I was on a run and I just got all of her messages when I got to the clubhouse. Where is she? Is she okay? What about Mason?"

"She's fine, he's fine just shaken up." Sariya closed the door, securing the house with the alarm before she turned back around to look at Jackson. "That's no excuse, I want you to know that right now. Just because you're out of town handling business does not mean you can neglect your family."

"This isn't the time for a lecture, I wanna see her." He tried to bypass the brunette, only to have her block his path. "I need to see her and explain myself to her."

"I think you need to do a lot more than that." She shrugged. "You know, she is having panic attacks, worrying about the wedding and doing everything on her own. Marriage is supposed to be a partnership, parenting is supposed to be a partnership. I think you need to realize that and I think you need to either stay and shape up or back out and go back to your comfort zone."

"Grandma, can you please help me with the garlic knots?" Monica wrapped her arms around the brunette and smiled at Jax. "You missed the best Italian dinner ever."

"I'm coming." Sariya nodded slowly. "You have the containers out Monica? I'll be right in there. Remember what I said Jackson."

"I will." Jackson nodded moving around the brunette and straight upstairs and into the guest room, pausing as he saw Brianna pulling on her shirt. "Where you going?"

"Nowhere." Brianna shook her head slowly, turning to look at the man before shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe to bed if I can find a space between those sleepy boys right there. I called, I texted, I left voicemails."

"I was out of Charming and I didn't get anything until I got back to the clubhouse. I'm sorry." He moved towards her. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" She growled as she pushed at his shoulders. "You weren't there, I needed you when that happened. My son was bleeding and he was shaken up and he just needed the both of us, not just me. He asked for you Jackson! He wanted his dad to be there."

"I'm sorry." He pulled the brunette into a hug and kissed her head. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you and I'm sorry that I failed you and him." He shook his head slowly. "I wanted you to know that I'm trying my best. Do you know who attacked the house?"

"No, we don't know." She pulled out of the hug. "I just want us to get onto the same page. That's what I want Jackson. I also need to know if you pissed someone off, someone who'd go after us? Because we made calls and we're good with everyone."

"No, I haven't pissed anyone off." Jax looked at her. "The club isn't on anyone's bad side that I know of. Brianna, look at him. I'll figure out who did this and I'll make it right. I'll make them pay for it. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." She nodded slowly. "I don't want to stay here forever, so please go and figure it out. I got the kids handled, so do what it is that you do. I love you, just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I don't love you. It means I love you alot, so go deal with it. I wanna go home Jackson. So please, do this for us."


	101. Better

**October 25, 2015**

"Dad," Creed climbed onto his dad's lap and smirked. "I got a cupcake, it's a pink one because Monica took the last blue one but it tastes good."

"He shouldn't be so focused on colors anyways, they all taste the same, the icing is the only difference." Monica dropped onto the floor and shrugged. "Is mom home? Or are you being punished and forced to watch all of us?"

"She's in her office." He shook his head slowly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence though."

She shrugged again. "I mean no offense, you just suck as a person to watch us is all. I heard you're not incompetent but you've yet to prove me wrong." She looked at him. "My mom needs to stop babying you."

"Enough." Brianna cleared her throat. "You can leave your phone on the coffee table for me and head on up to your room. Get your homework done, I know you have a whole lot of it because your dad told me so and your science teacher called me. So, go upstairs and get it all done."

"She hates me so much, I remember when she used to like me and want tea parties with me." Jax shook his head again before looking up at the brunette. "Where did I actually go wrong with the relationship?"

"She's a teenager." She shook her head. "She's also very opinionated and won't bite her tongue when she thinks something is off. She thinks you suck at watching the kids but you're good when it comes to playtime."

"What about you? Do you think I suck at watching our kids?" He rested his head against Creed's and sighed. "You do, I can see it on your face."

"I do think you suck." She shrugged as she sat down. "I think you started off strong but now you half ass it and I have to pick up the slack which is hard because I have a career to maintain and I don't want to give it up completely and just be a stay at home mom because I'd hate that and let's face it, you're not going to be bringing in enough money to maintain this place for at least another year or so. You need one more strip club with Nik to keep this level of luxury. You're kind of just coasting through and it's getting to the point where I'm wondering if you're doing this shit so I call off the wedding or you're doing it because you don't want any of this anymore. It's ok if you don't, just tell me so I can make the necessary accommodations for my children."

"I'm not, I'm not trying to do that." He shook his head as he let Creed wiggle away. "I'm just stressed, we have shit with the club and you know I can't handle any of that shit well. I suck at multitasking, I don't know how you do all of it, not at all."

"I do it because I have no choice. I had the kids and I'm not going to push them off on anyone else like my parents did with me. I want them to be able to look back and have memories of me doing shit with them and not anyone else doing what I was supposed to be doing." She shrugged again, her grey eyes darkening. "I do my career because I love being a surgeon and a doctor, I love helping people. I keep my home in order because I love coming home and being able to relax after a long day. Yevgeny helps with the younger kids when you and I both are needed out of the home. The boys love him and Monica gets along with him. Let's be honest here, she doesn't like you because she sees how stressed I am and she doesn't get how we aren't like Happy and Jacey. Working together and running a tight ship."

"I know." He nodded his head slowly. "I know that I need to do more around here and I need to be better for you and to you. I have been slipping and I can't deny that at all."

"Then get better with the home stuff." She nodded slowly. "I don't care what you have to do but just do it because this is supposed to be us being equals here. We're just two months away from getting married and I need to see a change or the wedding isn't going to happen Jackson. I'm going to have to postpone it until I see a change in you. How are we ever going to think about another kid if you can't help with the three we have now? I'm not asking you to do anything for Javier or Monica, I'm asking you to do all you can for the boys we have together."

"I get it." Jackson sighed, dragging his hands up and down his face. Everything finally settling in for him. Shape up or lose Brianna and may even the kids. He couldn't let that happen. "I'm going to improve."

"I hope so." She gave him a faint smile. "Because I'd hate for us to have to call off the wedding after I put so much into it. I'd also hate for our relationship to fail. It'd just prove everyone right when they said we were a horrible match for each other. I think we're good together, when we're on the same page anyways. I'm going to go get some housework done. I love you Jackson."

* * *

 **October 26, 2015**

Jackson Teller despised one thing; that thing was admitting to anyone that he needed help. He dragged his feet up the walkway, tossing away his cigarette before he reached the front door of the batcave. He was here for guidance, from the one person he knew would be honest and direct about it. Someone other than his younger sister Jacey who would probably beat him senseless then offer up the advice he desired.

He pressed the doorbell once, resting against the facade of the house, his fingers nervously twisting the rings on his fingers. He took a deep breath, exhaling as he heard someone begin to unlock the door. "Please don't be Jacey." He murmured under his breath, his usual light blue eyes becoming dark and gloomy as he waited for the door to fully open up.

The door was slowly pulled open to reveal Jacey Lowman, swaying back and forth as she held her youngest daughter. "Hey, come in." She whispered as she stepped aside. "I love you but I can't talk now. I need to keep her down, but Hap is in the kitchen."

"I came for Happy anyway." He gave her a brief smile before walking into the house. "Love you too though Jacey J." He winked before moving towards the kitchen and entering it cautiously. "Hey Hap."

Happy looked back and nodded. "What's up?" He put the gun down that he was starting to take apart.

"To put it bluntly, I fucked up and need some advice." He shrugged as he took a seat. "If you don't mind."

Happy nodded again as he stifled a yawn. "Alright, what's up? What'd you do now?"

"Do I really fuck up that much?" He shook his head. "Don't answer that. I thought it was a good idea to sort of push Brianna away, shit with the club and all of that. So, I did that, then realized I actually don't want her out of my life and she gave me this lecture and told me to shape up or the wedding is off and if that's off she's going to leave my ass."

Happy chuckled as he shook his head. "More than me so I gotta give you shit. Why do you think you could push her away? What makes you think she would stay away? What makes you think you'd be better off without her at your side?"

"Obviously I wasn't thinking shit through at all." He shook his head again. "It was my fucked up way of thinking she'd be safer and the kids would be safer. All I did was pull some bullshit that made her do double the work around the house. I know I wouldn't be better without her at my side."

Happy nodded slowly. "Guess you better learn to let her wield the sword too. You're gonna fuck up and lose it all if you keep thinking to yourself. I doubt she will be as forgiving as your sister was. I was thinking to myself, remember that shit, I left her thinking it was better for her and look what happened. Don't fuck this up."

"I guess when I got into this, I didn't realize that I'd end up having issue with her status. I just fell in love with her and nothing else mattered. I just don't want her getting hurt. I know I need to fucking man up and protect her myself but I sometimes just wake up from a dream of her getting hurt. Shit, we already had some asshole shoot out the windows of the Fortress and those things were bulletproof. Someone put high caliber rounds through the windows." He shook his head. "I of course was nowhere to be found, I was dealing with the clubhouse."

Happy looked back into the living room and smiled briefly. "I fought hard, man. The day I realized I was caring more about what happened in this house than the clubhouse… I was mad as hell. I was angry about it. Nothing came before the club until I woke up one morning and I realized I have a family, I had a girlfriend and a tiny little human that did not enjoy my absence." He shrugged. "It's hard, the balance. But I realized long ago that I need Jacey more than anything else. Take that into consideration. Bri's the end all, be all for you and you know you'd probably try to lay down the Dyna if you lost her. Imagine if she moved away, with all your kids. You'd have a nuclear meltdown, because you love her and you'd be _nothing_ without her."

"I'm the president but I do care more about that woman than I do about the club. I want the club to do well, that's family but my kids and Brianna, man, I'd be lost without them. I don't even care about how crazy she gets with shit either. I want her, I want her forever and I gotta do what I can to fix shit before she realizes she can do better than an outlaw from Charming." Jax sighed. "I hated when we first starting dating and she'd want to talk, I always thought she had realized that she's better than this life and that she can do better without me."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I got one of those. I got a fucking pyromaniac devil who will bite my head off." He chuckled as he shrugged. "Gotta fix it, do you want the kids growing up thinking you're a shit man and dad?"

"They're on two different levels of crazy. Brianna's crazy is staying up all night baking and then still managing to function throughout the day. I don't get it." He shook his head. "I'm going to fix it. I don't wanna lose her or the kids."

Happy shook his head. "And she's ready to light me on fire if she loses any sleep… please tell me why we should continue having kids that stay up through the night after they're born." He chuckled as he shrugged. "Gotta win her back…"

"Brianna's easy to win back, I gotta cut my hair and let her dress me up in a tux." He sighed. "As well as prove to her that I can get along with the mini version of her that pretty much hates me now and I don't even know what I did wrong to Monica." He shook his head. "I gotta show Bri I can look after the three boys without tapping out and calling Sariya in for help."

Happy shook his head slowly. "Monica is tough, she's really only around for Jacey. Or Ashtyn, she loves that tiny mean demon." He shrugged his shoulders again. "How do you not know how to handle them? All ya gotta do is break out the coloring book and they're all done for."

"She does a thing and I always wanna strangle her. She says what her mom is thinking." He shook his head. "It's not that easy. I tried the coloring books and the cartoons. They just like to run rampant and hide from me. Noah is the ring leader."

Happy nodded his head. "Then make it fun, hide n seek. Kol used to do it until he realized I played with him. He got bored and wanted to go swimming."

"I tried once, took me three hours to find Mason, he had fallen asleep under a fur coat in the closet. Only found him because Noah was so upset he didn't have his twin." He laughed. "I suck at it but I'm trying to get better. I wanna get better. I wanna be a good dad like how mine was to me and Jace before our brother died."

Happy shook his head. "With candy, ya fool. Or Ashtyn. She gets their attention well, she's trying to crawl too."

"They're not allowed to have candy after Creed attacked the house with red and purple paint, ruining Bri's office and Monica's room." He chuckled. "I got my head practically bit off that day, Bri cut me off for an entire month. I was dying man. A whole damn month."

Happy chuckled as he shook his head. "You do not know how to do this at all, Jax, damn. I'm gonna let you watch mine one weekend, they're easy as hell. Well not Camryn, she doesn't like you anymore since you deserted her. You're gonna quit hurting my damn blondies. They're sensitive." He smirked.

"I'm aware that I don't, why do you think I always end up calling Sariya?" he shook his head. "I have done nothing more than hang out with the kids. They respond better to their mom and I'm the fun one I guess but I don't know about the candy thing, not unless they're outside running it off."

Happy shook his head slowly. "Skittles. Two each for each time they win the round of the game or in my case, finish a picture. However I'm teaching mine as they have fun." He smiled at the man. "You gotta start thinking, dipshit."

"I think I can manage that." He nodded slowly. "Thinking isn't really my wheelhouse. I'm gonna change that though. This is gonna be so fun."

Happy shook his head. "I'll tell my wife if you hurt my kid's feelings though. If she wants the twins, you let her have them. We like to spoil that mean one… she growls." He chuckled.

"No, the twins are mine. I'm getting a hang of them causing trouble." He shrugged. "Creed, he's fair game. He looks like Jacey anyways."

"Therefore he is mine." Jacey mumbled as she entered the kitchen and grabbed a pre made bottle from the fridge. "Not fair game. The twins like their girl, you will get over it." She placed the bottle in the warmer and turned the timer on. "What'd you come to steal my husband for?"

"Advice because I've been fucking up with Brianna." Jax looked at his sister. "I'm sure she's told someone of my fuckups."

Jacey nodded slowly as she took the bottle out of the warmer and shrugged. "Just gotta think about how much she and your family matter. Don't let them define the relationship. I'll be in the nursery, angry teether."

"Just rub some whiskey on her gums, or is it scotch?" He smiled at his sister. "Give her a kiss for me."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "None of the above, it doesn't work for her. She gets grumpy like when her daddy drinks whiskey. Maybe some tequila will make her giggly again." She smirked as she walked to her brother. "She's being a turtle in her moby, kiss her yourself. Look, pretty girl, it's _Jackie_."

"Don't listen to Jacey J." Jax kissed his niece's forehead and smiled. "Can't you just give her to me? I deserve a baby girl, just pass her on over once I get my dad shit in order."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "Hell no, babies deserve amazing parents. Not foolishly confused ones, get your shit together then I'll think about letting her spend time with her uncle." She kissed Jax's head. "I know you can shape up…"

"I'm going to try my hardest and I'm going to turn it around. I can't lose Bri or my family." Jax sighed. "I wanna make her fall in love with me all over again."

Happy shrugged his shoulders. "Don't start that nonsense until your positive this is what you will want."

"I'm positive, this is what I want." Jax nodded slowly. "I want to be a dad, a husband and a great partner for Brianna. I gotta step it back up and be the man she needs me to be and the dad the kids need me to be. I'm gonna be better. I got a brunnette to win over, I'll see ya later man. Thanks."

* * *

 **At this point, I don't know who's still reading this story but I'm trying to finish it off. At least for myself anyways. I'll be sad to see these OCS go but who knows, maybe I'll start a new adventure with the children in the future. Thank you to those for the continued support, sorry to the ones who lost interest and hello to those who may be starting this story late. I appreciate you all.**


	102. Prez

October 31, 2015

Jackson Teller sighed, watching as the twins and Creed tried to walk ahead of their older brother Javier. "You three, be careful, I know I got you on these leash things but calm it down. There's plenty of houses."

"We're excited!" Javier laughed. "We're gonna get lots of candy and I'm gonna share some with my Camryn."

"I'm taking most of their candy." Brianna chuckled as she lifted up the twins. "You two behave or no trick or treating my loves." She set them down beside Jax and smiled at him before looping her arm through his. "You so could've dressed up for this. Could've been the Prince Charming to my Evil Queen."

"Isn't the evil queen single?" He looked at the brunette and smirked. "I know a thing or six about fairy tales. I used to read them all of the time to Jacey when she was little. Her favorite one was sleeping beauty."

She nodded slowly. "It's modern day, we totally could break all of the rules and get our villainous every after. Think outside of the box baby. It's a modern day fairy tale type of thing we have going for us. The biker and the doctor. Hmmm, I know how well that worked out for you last time but I'm hoping for different results." She kissed his cheek. "Come on, the first house, let's hear the twins say trick or treat, they've been practicing."

"Trick or treat." Noah laughed as he ran up the path to the house. "Trick or treat!"

"We have to knock first baby." Bri smiled as she tapped on the door. "When the door opens, say trick or treat."

"Trick or treat!" Creed shouted as the door open. "I'm a biker! Vroom! Vroom!"

"Trick or treat." Noah smiled as he looked at the lady. "Trick or treat."

"Mase, baby say it." She rubbed her youngest son's back slowly. "He's the shy one, I'm sorry."

"I'll say it for him." Javier nodded eagerly. "Trick or treat! Trick or treat. One for me and one for my little brother."

"I got Mason." Jax lifted up his son and kissed his head. "We'll get it out of him by the last house."

"I know we will." Bri nodded slowly as she handed Mason his plastic pumpkin, once these things are filled, we're heading back home. The last thing I need is a house full of kids with cavities and stomachaches."

"Trick or treat." Mason whispered as he looked at his mom and smiled. "Trick or treat."

"My shy little minion." She winked at him and smirked. "We have to cherish this now because one day they're gonna be horned up teenagers who always are seeking out some attention."

"A hundred more houses please!" Javier clapped his hands. "Come on guys walk faster!"

"Not that many more houses, we're meeting up with Jacey and the kids in a block or so, so pace yourselves. You don't wanna tire out before you get to trick or treat with your Camryn." She tapped Javier's head. "Slow and steady wins the race."

"Now I know why you told me to bring the stroller." Jax looked at the four passed out boys in the stroller and smiled. "I can't even imagine having to carry them all the way back home. It would've been miserable."

"And to think you didn't wanna seem like a lame dad pushing an empty stroller down the street." Brianna laughed as she slipped out of her heels and tossed them to the side. "At least I know those heels have been broken in properly."

"I can't believe you wore heels." He shook his head as he toed off his sneakers. "You're crazy."

She shrugged. "I wear heels daily, I'm usually in heels unless I'm working in the hospital, then I'm in those ugly but wonderfully comfortable clogs that my mom got me." She smiled as she hugged him. "I know this isn't your normal thing but thank you for coming out with us, I had fun and I know the kids will remember it. Especially since Monica and Jacey took way too many pictures."

"I'm trying to be more of a family man. Our conversation really stayed with me." He kissed her and nodded. "Thank you for letting me out here. It means a lot. I wanna be better at this for them, you and myself."

"Well, so far so good. Don't let yourself down." She tugged on his hair and smirked. "You think you can handle putting Creed and the twins in bed? I'm going to put Javi Baby in bed and then sort through all of this candy. Donate most of it to Yevgeny. He's a lover of candy. It's insane really."

"I can handle it." He nodded as he pulled back to look at the brunette. "Save some of the jolly ranchers for me."

"Deal handsome." She smirked. "I can do that. I can save you some my love." She kissed him and smiled. "Same bed, all three of them just in Creed's bed. Strip them out of the costumes and fresh pull ups on the twins if needed."

"I got it." He nodded again as he pushed the stroller towards the stairs. "You get him in bed and jump in the shower. I'll see you in a bit."

"Noah peed on me while I was changing his pull up." Jackson walked into the master suite, a towel loosely around his waist as he made his way towards the bed where Brianna was currently laid across, still in her black towel. "He thought it was funny too. He's a little shit, just like Jacey."

She laughed as she looked up at him and nodded. "Wait until you're dealing with a sick Mason. Puke, piss and poop. He was a miserable mess and I was a concerned mama." She sat up and shrugged. "It's parenting, we're not doing it right if we're not getting a bit messy in the process."

"Monica ever piss on you or is it mostly a boy thing?" He sat on the bed and yawned. "I think it's a boy thing."

"She's peed on me and giggled." She nodded as she trailed her fingers through his darkened locks and sighed. "It's just a kid thing. They know we'll love them regardless of it all. It's our job to take care of them and it's very messy. It's a different type of mess when you're a mom and you are going through the postpartum part of things. It's like all dignity has gone out the window when you're letting a nurse slip an ice pack in your mesh panties to ease the pain."

"I don't remember any of that." He shook his head slowly. "Why do you even wanna be with me? I've been shit…"

"Because women don't openly discuss the part after giving birth. We like to keep it to ourselves and push through it because we need to be strong and care for our children. I've seen a lot of women fall into dark places after birth and just shut down because they don't want to feel the way they do. They wanna be happy they had a child but sometimes you're just out of whack for a bit and that's okay." She smiled at him as she started to brush his hair. "I'm in love with you. Guys are oblivious to all things birth related. It's okay. Plus do you really wanna know about us being on like a month long period after birth? No? That's what I thought."

"It's my job to take care of you." He relaxed against her. "Not the other way around."

"That's sexist." She laughed. "We're supposed to take care of each other. We're supposed to be there for each other. Sometimes one of us will need a little more care and that's perfectly fine. It's a partnership. One day it'll be you brushing my hair while I listen to something you've gone through."

"The worst thing I've gone through was losing my brother." He tilted his head to look at Brianna. "It was something that messed me up bad. I lost hope and I can't do that ever again. I have one brother left, Opie. If I ever lose him, I won't be able to bounce back. I don't think I'd be able to be myself."

Brianna nodded slowly and sighed. "I know how that would be. I worry about Jacey a lot, her and Nik. If I lost either of them, I wouldn't be myself. There's a difference between distance and them being gone forever. Ya know? They're part of who I am and who would I really be if any of them were gone forever?"

"Don't even wanna talk or think about it anymore." He squeezed her thigh before turning over and pinning her to the bed. "Just wrap around me for old times sake and rattle off some Russian fairy tale for me."

"I can do that." She kissed his head as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "I have a good one to tell you tonight. I hope you're ready."

November 4, 2015

"Here we go," Brianna clapped her hands together. "Jackson Creed Teller, I swear if you don't put that little booty back in your seat, I will come back there with you and pop you. Do you want that?"

"No." Creed shook his head. "I love you mama."

"I love you too." She smiled back at him. "I hate when I have to pop you. You're going to spend the day with your dad at the clubhouse, your brothers are sick and I don't know what's wrong with that evil sister of yours."

"Evil Monica." He laughed as he let his mom take him out of his seat. "Mama, I want some candy."

"Not on my watch." She kissed his head before setting him onto the ground. "Let me look you over one more time. Jeans, check, white Nikes, check, flannel shirt, check, kutte, check, a Reaper Crew hat on, check. I think you're ready to go and your aunt Jacey would be pitching a fit right now if she saw what you looked like right now."

"Blondie." He smiled as he pointed to the white SUV that was parked by the entrance. "That's her car."

"Here we go," Brianna clapped her hands together. "Jackson Creed Teller, I swear if you don't put that little booty back in your seat, I will come back there with you and pop you. Do you want that?"

"No." Creed shook his head. "I love you mama."

"I love you too." She smiled back at him. "I hate when I have to pop you. You're going to spend the day with your dad at the clubhouse, your brothers are sick and I don't know what's wrong with that evil sister of yours."

"Evil Monica." He laughed as he let his mom take him out of his seat. "Mama, I want some candy."

"Not on my watch." She kissed his head before setting him onto the ground. "Let me look you over one more time. Jeans, check, white Nikes, check, flannel shirt, check, kutte, check, a Reaper Crew hat on, check. I think you're ready to go and your aunt Jacey would be pitching a fit right now if she saw what you looked like right now."

"Blondie." He smiled as he pointed to the white SUV that was parked by the entrance. "That's her car."

Bri nodded slowly. "She's gonna love seeing you dressed like your dad. Go on, go find her and declare to everyone that you're the president."

"I will." Creed nodded as he ran into the clubhouse. "I am Jax Teller! Where's Blondie!?"

Case looked back from his place by the pool table. "Hey! Little chicken what's up? Damn, you're lookin' like your dad."

"I am the new Prez." He smiled at Case. "Bring me my gavel!"

"He can't be stopped once he starts." Brianna shook her head. "Just let it run its course."

Jacey appeared beside her sister and kissed Bri's head. "Shhh. Is he here for the dumbass or me?"

"He was here for his dad but now he's here for you. He saw the Rover." She smiled. "Go on, tell me I'm horrible for dressing him like a mini Jax. I think it's cute that he wants to dress like his dad."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "I'll get that dumbass flannel off of him, then he can just be handsome. He needs black tees. Wait for it." She smirked. "Jackson Creed Teller, is that you babe?"

"It's me!" Creed ran to Jacey and smiled. "I missed you!"

She leaned down, scooping the toddler up. "Oh my man! My love! Give me kisses, I have missed you so much." She looked at Bri and smirked. "This guy."

"I love you." He peppered her face with kisses and grinned. "Mama, it's my Blondie." He rubbed Jacey's face. "I'm here to take the gavel."

Jacey nodded slowly as she gestured to the closed chapel doors. "Oh yeah? You wanna bust in now?" She winked at Bri. "He's in there with Hap and Koz, they're talking about some run that is gonna get him beat."

"Yeah." He nodded. "Put me down, so I can bust down the doors and take my gavel."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "You are bossy as hell, go ahead." She set the toddler down before smiling at Case. "Come Cujo, guard him."

"The doors are heavy." Creed looked Case. "Push 'em for me, please!"

Case shook his head. "They won't shoot you Jacey, open the doors for him."

"You are telling me you wouldn't take a bullet for my baby? I need to evaluate you." Jacey shook her head slowly as she approached the doors and pushed the open. "Never fear, President Creed is here." She smirked.

"I'm here for the gavel!" Creed walked into the chapel and stopped at the head of the table, holding his hand out. "Just hand it over and I won't have to hurt ya dad. Tell him guys, make this easy."

Happy smirked as he nodded his head. "I guess, man you lost out. Hand over the gavel, our president needs it." He stood up and moved to his wife, kissing her cheek. "Have you been talking to Brianna about the holidays?" He whispered to her before moving to Bri and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Where's my twins?"

"They are sick at mom's." Bri smiled. "This one escaped it, so he's here to run his club."

Jacey shrugged her shoulders. "Give it up, Jackie. He's the true president." She smiled as she sat down in the seat her husband vacated. "Come here Creed."

"We have to put it to a vote." Jax smirked. "All in favor of making Creed the new president?"

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Fuck votes. He's the president, he's cuter and smarter and I say so because I obviously run this ship."

"True." Creed grabbed the gavel and hit the table. "Church is out. It's playtime guys."

Jacey grinned as she set the toddler on the table. "I love you baby, you're so perfect and precious. Let's get the flannel off."

"Hey, he looks good in that." Jax nodded. "I love that color, it looks good on us Teller men."

Jacey shook her head slowly. "No Lumberjack Larry it doesn't look good on any man. Stop lying to yourself."

"It has to get Bri going." He smirked. "Right Bri?"

"Do not drag me into this." Brianna shook her head. "I'd prefer you in a suit but I let you wear what makes you happy baby."

"Oh." He laughed. "Well, I don't like when you wear that one stupid white dress."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Stop talking. We're discussing my baby's wardrobe. Little Lumberjack Larry." She smirked as she kissed Creed's forehead. "Guess who's here with me… your baby, Ash."

"I had on a button up but mama said I was overdressed." He smiled. "My baby Ash is here?"

Jacey shook her head. "Your mama is overdressed as always. Tell her to mind her business. Yes, Ash is here babe. She's in Hap's room napping."

"Mind ya business." Creed giggled as he looked at his mom. "I wanna see Ash."

Jacey nodded her head. "Go shop, gorgeous. Christmas is coming up." She stood up and kissed Bri's forehead. "I love you so much, bye. Come on Creed, let's go see if our girl is awake and ready to play."

"Bye mama." He waved. "Guys, go have fun with your eaters!"

Jacey shook her head slowly. "I'll cut you Hap. Don't think I'm playing honey." She moved to the back of the clubhouse and pulled a set of keys out of her dress pocket to unlock the door before she opened it. "Listen, she's awake. I think she's playing by herself."

"Ashtyn, it's me Creed." Creed smiled. "Hi baby!"

The blonde smirked as she set Creed on the bed before she picked up her daughter from the pack n play. "Hey sweetheart. Look who's here, it's your big cousin." She sat Ashtyn down. "Be careful Creed, she's still learning to sit up."

"Pretty baby." He grinned at Ashtyn. "I like your eyes."

Jacey smiled as she stepped out of her wedges and sat down on the bed behind Ashtyn. "Are you gonna teach her to talk? Or crawl? She's been trying to crawl, babe."

"I'm gonna teach her." He nodded. "Crawl and walk."

The blonde smiled as she watched Ashtyn lean toward Creed. "You and Kol both can ok? He wants to teach her to walk."

"Kol's my best friend." He smiled as he helped Ashtyn rest against him. "Hi baby. You're pretty. I'm Creed Teller."

Jacey smiled again. "Try kisses baby, she loves your kisses." She ran a hand through his hair. "Say hi, Ash."

"Kiss, kiss." He kissed Ashtyn's face. "She smells good."

The blonde nodded her head. "She smells amazing babe, very wonderful. She sure does love you and your kisses."

"I love her." He smiled. "Cousin Ash."

Jacey smiled as she laid down, setting her phone on the nightstand beside her. "She loves you too. You're her favorite Creed."

"I'm the only Creed." He nodded slowly as he kissed Ashtyn's nose. "Can you say Creed?"

"I can say Creed." Jax walked into the room and grabbed his son before kissing his head. "Sorry Jacey J and Ashtyn. I need to borrow the new president."

"Hi dad." Creed smiled at the man and nodded. 'What can I do for ya?"

"I was thinking cuddles and a nap Prez." He smirked. "Sound good?"

"Yeah!" The little boy nodded eagerly. "Love you Ashtyn, Blondie. Bye!" He waved and smiled. "I miss mom."

"I do too but she'll be back for us soon." Jax walked into his old dorm and sighed. "I promise man." He laid on the bed, securing his son against him. "I love you, you're one of my best friends. Never forget it alright?"

"I won't." Creed smiled. "Now go to sleep. Love you dad."


	103. Fleeting

November 9, 2015

"This is what I need to do," Brianna started as she looked at Jax. "I need to switch that god awful bowtie with an actual tie. Leave the bowties for Creed." She shook her head, twirling her finger through the air before smiling. "I know, it's killing you to have to were a tux instead of the kutte." She tugged on the front of his jacket before kissing his neck. "You look handsome."

Jax nodded as he caught her lips in a kiss. "I'm taking this thing off as soon as the ceremony is done and pictures are done."

"I know we're continuing with this wedding and everything but I need you to know that if for any reason that you aren't sure about this, I want you to tell me. I deserve the world, I deserve a man who's going to stand at my side and be the King to my Queen. I won't settle for anything less than that, so if you can't give that to me, then I need you to tell me now so I can cancel this all and move forward with my life." She studied his face cautiously. "I love you, so, so much but I can't go through a divorce. I can't do that to the kids."

"I need you to relax." He chuckled as he rested his hands on her hips and squeezed them roughly. "I plan to give you everything you deserve plus more."

"Say it like you mean it." She smirked. "Put some bass in that voice."

"Oh, Queen Katarzyna, I'm going to give you everything you deserve plus a whole lot more. I'm going to give you the world. I'll probably have to rob a few banks, do a few more illegal things and I'll be able to bankroll your shopping trips." He chuckled again as he rubbed her hips slowly. "Is that enough bass for you?"

She nodded slowly as she started to unbutton his dress shirt. "It was enough for me." She licked her lips and shrugged. "Wanna rehearse our wedding night?"

"Yeah." He nodded slowly as he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up, securing her legs around his waist. "Can we make a kid while we're at it?"

"No more kids." She shook her head. "No more kids until you can handle the three we already have together. Creed told me that you lost the twins inside of the grocery store and called Uncle Opie to help you find them. He's a mama's boy, he tells me everything, get used to it."

"I turned my back for thirty seconds." He kissed her neck as he laid her on their bed. "They're fast little fuckers."

"Put them in a cart, even if you're only running in for one thing." She bit her lower lip as she watched him undress completely. "One request, put your kutte on."

"Like the first time we fucked huh?" He laughed as he picked up his kutte and shrugged it on. "Knew you only like me in the kutte."

"No, no. Like the one time we went for a ride and you bent me over the Harley." She pulled her sleep shirt off and smirked. "Whoops, nothing on underneath. My bad."

"I think you planned this." He leaned over the brunette before kissing her chest. "You wanted me to try on the tux, then you got all hot and bothered over it."

"Guilty." She shrugged. "I was horny and knew that you in the tux would get me going and we'd end up having sex. It's been a month!"

"Been a month because you were pissed at me." He trailed his fingers down her body. "You deprived yourself…" He looked down at her and smirked. "You deprived me."

"I know." She pulled him down on top of her. "Fuck me. Stop talking. I want you to fuck me Jackson. I need you."

"Yeah?" He nodded as he pinned her heads about her head, spreading her legs wider with his knees. "You need me huh?" He pushed into her, rolling his hips slightly as he studied her face carefully.

"Mom!" Monica's voice flowed through the door. "Mom! It's an emergency!"

"Fuck!" Bri pushed Jax off if her and moved to her closet pulling a robe on before moving to the bedroom door and yanking it open. "What's wrong?"

"Gregor is bleeding! Like badly mom!" Monica pulled her mom out of the room. "Like we went to the store and he got into it with some other Russian dude and I think he was stabbed or something. He drove us here. I'm scared!"

"Deep breath. Go next door and see your dad and Jacey. I'm going to take care of him, alright? He's going to be fine, I promise." She hugged Monica tightly. "Don't take the front, use the gate that connects our backyards, call your dad on the way. It'll be fine my love. I promise."

"Don't let him die." Monica nodded. "Okay?"

"He won't." Bri nodded. "Go. Jackson! I need you Jackson."

"What happened?" Jax appeared behind the brunette. "One of the kids?"

"No, someone stabbed big ass Gregor." She walked into her office. "I'll break your hand if you got blood on my white sofa, Gregor…" she trailed off in Russian. "I'm going to stitch you up and make sure you're good. You're going to tell me who did. Not everyday you come across Russian guys in public like that."

"Monica made a big fuss." Gregor groaned as he sat up. "I can patch myself up. I don't know the guy, he came up to me and started running his mouth about me being a suit. The bastard got me when I turned to walk back to Monica. He made a comment, 'this is for Putlova'."

"We didn't do anything to Putlova." She pulled on her gloves and moved to him. "We had an agreement with him until he was killed." She glances back at Jax. "The club did it. They offed the Russians."

"That is confidential." Jax shook his head. "Need to know basis."

"Most of the Russians know that the club killed the Russians from up North because it caused an uproar among our community." Brianna spoke softly. "You kinda can't kill a power player. The Russian gun running community is small. It's the Putlova Family, the Sharikova Family and the Hohrykova Family out here."

"Fuck the Sharikova Family." Gregor grimaced as he felt Bri start to press on his wound. "Dumb cunts buy shit guns from dirty ass Irish and make their living. We build our own Russian guns and we do sell other guns but we don't work with dirty Irish."

"Gregor is old school. The Sharikova Family once was led by a woman. Her name is Svetlana, she was betrayed by her lover, the man who she put at her side to be her King. He didn't like what she was doing so now she's in prison for life and he's living it up. Has a new twenty year old wife." Brianna rolled her eyes. "It's a struggle between them and the Putlova Family. So we try to stay out of shit because I can't be bothered with a pissing contest. We're bigger, we're more legitimate and our front is a literal armory. It's all legal and it's all good for us financially. The only dirty business we really have is with your club."

"Can you take your finger out if my body?" Gregor pinched Brianna's thigh. "It's not a bullet hole it's a stab wound."

"The tip of the knife broke off." She held up a piece of metal. "Hit you in your rib. So you're going to be fine. I'll stitch you up nicely and you'll go next door and let Monica see that you're not dead."

"We had our reasons for why we did what we did." Jax shrugged as he looked between the pair. "I never really have seen you do your actual doctor shit."

"Well, don't make stupid impulsive moves." Brianna looked at Jax and smirked. "Don't be the mad King be like a dope ass ruler or something. Who was a good king Gregor?"

"Alexander the Great." Gregor shrugged. "It's in his name so he has to be great. I enjoyed Vlad the Impaler though. That's my type of ruler."

"I was thinking like a Genghis Khan or Catherine the Great, who was a badass Russian empress who I am named after." Bri cleaned the wound before starting to stitch the man up. "Like what good are you if you do more damage than good? Think of shit and look at all angles. Like you're doing well with being legit but you're still in bed with the Irish and at any moment some pissed off Irish man will turn up in Charming."

"Catherine the Great? Who was the mad King." Gregor looked at Jax. "Don't behead Bri or I'll have to hurt you. Okay?"

"First of all, the mad King I'm referring to is King Henry VIII. He was impulsive andet his passions run and ruin his rule and life. Six wives and beheaded some? Had mistresses and pissed off people left and right because of hasty decisions." She shrugged. "He won't behead me. Not a chance. I'm his third favorite thing behind the club and his Dyna."

"Babe, you're my second favorite thing." Jax smirked at the brunette. "I don't currently like my Dyna all too much."

"Oh, he is being flirty." Gregor chuckled. "I hope you two weren't making any more kids."

"Hush." Bri laughed. "I love a flirty Jackson. Look at his stupid smirk, it's perfection."

"We need to keep you on retainer." Jax looked at Bri. "You stitched him up fast."

She shrugged. "All part of the job. Did I ever think I'd play mob doctor? Nope but sometimes it's very fun to fix up my babies. Elijah plays tough but he can't even get a flu shot without freaking out over the needle size. Now, shower then go see Monica. Jax and I have business to handle."

"Now that was an interruption that I wasn't expecting." Jax watched as Gregor walked slowly out of the office. "You used to get that more?"

"Nah, I haven't really had to play mob doctor." She dropped her robe. "So, are we going back to handling business or what?"

He shook his head as he pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket. "I have to go." He kissed her. "I'll finish you off when I get back. I promise."

November 12, 2015

"You're gone for three days. Three damn days!" Brianna pushed Jackson away from her and crossed her arms over her chest. "Three days, no calls, no texts and you come in here and think shit is going to be fine. You could've been dead!"

"But I'm not." Jax moved closer to the brunette only for her to push him away once again. "I missed you."

She shrugged. "Jackson, we're supposed to get married next month and shit is bad! Like we're not on the same page, we have shit communication. Like you don't disappear for three days then come back home and expect me to be happy. I'm relieved that the kids still have a dad but fuck, Jax. You have to clue me in on shit. Honesty, communication and no cheating. Top three things right now."

"I didn't cheat." He shook his head. "Brianna, you're being dramatic!"

"I'm being rational as hell right now." She dropped her arms to her side, cocking her head slightly as she sniffled the air. "You smell like a cheap whore and don't say it was because you were in the strip club because those are classy ass strippers where Nik works."

"We celebrated, we went to the Jelly Bean." He shrugged out of his flannel and tossed it towards the bathroom. "Brianna, I didn't cheat, I'm honest and communicating."

"Don't patronize me right now." She rolled her eyes and shoved him backwards, watching him stumble. "You were doing so well, why do you insist on fucking up when things get serious and we function as a semi normal couple?"

"We're far from normal Brianna." He scoffed. "Open your eyes."

"My eyes are wide open right now." She hissed. "Get your shit together Jackson. I can't deal with you right now. You're being a fucking disappointment. Like can't you be good to me for longer than a few weeks at a time? If you don't want to be here then let me fucking know! This shit can't be one-sided. You can't keep changing up! You were doing so damn well! I'm going to sleep in Monica's room. Give you space to figure shit out and sober up, maybe."

"Brianna," Jax tried before watching the brunette move towards the door. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah you are." She glanced back. "Sleep on it. I won't hold it against you if you pack your shit up and are gone in the morning…"

 **did i really take about a million years ro update? yes. do i regret it? nope. this creative process is difficult and takes time. i had to reread and reevaluate everything I had put into this story and make some much needed changes which are coming soon. i know I've lost a lot of readers but thank you in advance to the ones that are still around and putting up with my shit. you're amazing.**


	104. Kimber & Glocks

**November 14, 2015**

"Brianna," Jackson murmured as he walked into the dark office and sighed. "Bri, come on. Only you would doze off reading."

"I'm fine. The lights turned themselves off." Bri pulled the blanket over her head and shrugged. "I'm still pissed off at you, don't touch me. I'm staying right here on this soft ass sofa."

"It's been a week." He lowered himself to the floor and rested his back against the sofa. "I'm sorry that I didn't call or text when I left town."

"Sorry doesn't mean shit when it's coming from you. How are we going to do this? How are we even going to continue this relationship if you can't even communicate the simplest little thing to me?" She shook her head. "We're doomed. We're not going to make it down the goddamn aisle and I think it's time for us to stop thinking we will."

"We can make it." He nodded as he trailed his fingers through her ponytail. "I know we can make it Brianna."

"Did you cheat on me?" She turned over to look at him. "Did you cheat on me? I need to know it now because it's a deal breaker. I can't do this with you like I did with Juice. Like shit, his cheating was the worst too."

"I didn't cheat on you." He shook his head. "I put that on my boys. I didn't cheat on you. I promise you Brianna."

"It doesn't matter." She shook her head. "We're doomed and every single day that we drag this out, we're doing more harm than good. I feel like you don't even want this or want me. I feel like I'm some placeholder and that it's an ex that you want. The only time you ever want me is when someone else wants me. Like when Alex flirted and you got heated. You only wanted me then because he wanted me."

"That's not true, I always want you." He looked at her carefully. "You're smart, gorgeous and kind, what's not there to want about you Brianna? We're supposed to make it and we're supposed to try for a little girl. You don't want that anymore? You don't want me anymore?"

She shrugged. "I don't know what I want anymore. I just know that I'm not happy right now and it'd be wrong for us to get married, knowing that we're going through all of these emotions and doubts. I thought I could put it to the side and ignore it but it's bubbling back up and it's weird Jackson. I don't know how to love you, the way you love me. You're not in love with me and I think that's what our issue is. You never fell out of love with Tara and do not lie to me like I'm a stupid little girl because I'm far from it."

"And you never fell out of love with your first love…" He shook his head. "So, what are we doing now Brianna? Staying together for the sake of the kids or splitting up for the sake of our sanity. You have to let me know because I want this but you don't want this."

"You don't want it!" She sat up and tossed a pillow at him. "Everything you do says you don't want this. You don't want a wife, you don't want kids, you don't want to be a fucking family man but here we are." She rubbed her lower back. "I can't keep doing this bullshit with you but like damn I love you so damn much. This is killing me. I want us to work out but I don't think we're going to work out because we're not on the same page and to top that off, we're not even in the same book!"

"So, what are we going to do huh?" He studied her carefully, watching the brunette shift uneasily. "What do we do now huh? Let me know!"

"Mom!" Creed ran into the office. "Leave her alone!" He looked at his dad and glared. "Don't yell at my mom!"

Brianna moved to her son and scooped him up, resting her forehead against his. "Baby, it's okay. I'm proud of you for coming to my rescue." She ran her fingers through his hair. "Your dad was just going to head to bed and get some sleep. I'm going to sleep with you, okay Creed?"

He looked back at his dad before looking at his mom. "Cuddles?" He smiled. "I wanna walk."

"Alright." She nodded as she set him to his feet. "Give your dad a hug and tell him goodnight."

"Goodnight." Creed shrugged. "Not hugging you, mean head."

"Alright, head to bed." Bri shook her head, watching her son leave the room hesitantly. "Lord, he has his aunt Jacey's sass."

"We'll finish this talk though." Jackson nodded slowly. "Go see the kid."

 **November 21, 2015**

"Run!" Creed yelled as he sprinted through the aisle of the grocery store, his younger brothers right behind them as they laughed. "Don't let dad catch us!"

"Creed!" Jax moved after the trio, fully regretting not putting the boys in the shopping cart as Brianna had suggested when they arrived at the store. _Nope_. He had to prove to her that he could handle them and it was becoming something that was easier said than done. "Creed! Noah! Mason!"

"I told you to grab a cart." Brianna shook her head slowly as she walked behind Jackson. "They're little monkeys, can't let them be wild."

He shrugged. "I can handle them." He spoke outloud, mostly to reassure himself. "They're my boys, I can do this. You may not be here for the next grocery trip. I may have to do this myself."

"True." She shrugged as he moved past him with the cart. "Have at it. I'll get the shopping done for the things I need for dinner. You wrangle your loud ass heathens."

"Creed come here." Jax stalked behind the little boys and shook his head. "It's not a game, you may get fuckin' kidnapped or somethin'."

"Fuckin'!" Creed fell to the floor in a fit of giggles. "Fuckin'! Fuckin'! Fuckin'! Fuckin'!"

"No, no, no." He picked up his son and covered his mouth. "Don't say that man, it's a bad word. You can't say it, ok?"

"Fuckin' ok!" The little boy laughed. "Hi fuckin' mom!"

"Jackson _Creed_ Teller!" Brianna whipped around. "What did you just say? Did I hear you right?"

"Uh oh!" Creed hid his face in his dad's hair and shook his head. "She's mad!"

She moved towards the duo and pinched Creed's arm. "Don't say that again, it's not a cute word my love. Jax you gotta pick your words wisely around that one. He repeats anything and everything that he hears. Where did Noah and Mason just go?"

"I don't know." Jax shook his head. "Noah! Mason!"

"Twinsies!" Brianna shouted before rushing down the aisle and turning left. "No, Mase! Come to mommy!"

"Looking for these things?" Opie held the twins up and smirked at the brunette. "They crashed right into my legs before trying to climb up me."

"Noah, Mason." She sighed. "I thought I was going to have to call the cops and have this store put on lockdown. Hopefully they'll go into a cart on their next shopping trip with their dad."

"Mom." Noah reached out for the brunette and smiled. "Hi mom."

"Hi my little potato." Brianna took her son and kissed his head. "I missed you so much. Don't runaway again, okay?"

"Opie!" Jax moved to the man and smiled. "What's up man!"

"Picking up groceries." Opie nodded. "Lyla wanted to check out this store on the way home to Charming."

"Look at my little potato." Brianna smiled at Jax. "I love him so much and look at my other potato, he's falling asleep with his uncle Opie You may have to take that one home with you. Maybe it'll give you and Lyla baby fever."

"Taters!" Creed smiled and nodded eagerly. "Those are my taters."

"Don't even ask about it." Jax smirked. "Man, you have to come over soon and bring the family. I'm sure we can make it a big deal. Jacey and Happy, their kids."

"Yes," Brianna nodded slowly. "Jax has become an outstanding chef. It's amazing really."

"The sarcasm is real with this one, she's been around Jacey too much." Opie laughed. "If she had blonde hair and blue eyes, they'd be twins."

"Then things would be weird." She chuckled. "I'm taking these handsome things and you two can catch on up. Noah in the cart, Creed in the cart. I'll carry sleepyhead Mason."

"So, she's gotten prettier." Opie nudged Jackson's shoulder and smirked. "She doesn't look like the prissy ice princess I first met either. She's actually human."

Jax nodded slowly and smiled. "She's still kinda icy, depends on the person really. I guess you've warmed her up." He shrugged. "What are you and Lyla doing out this way? It's kinda far from Charming."

"Lyla had to take Piper to see some specialist like week and this week she got the results, he's fine. They originally thought the kid was sick." The larger man shook his head. "Lyla is around here shopping. I heard a kid screaming fuckin' and I knew it had to be you."

"I'm going to get my ass beat when we get home." He laughed. "I didn't listen to her when she suggested a cart."

"She's not a croweater or sweetbutt Jax. She's a whole new beast and you can't try to boss that one around. You gotta work with her, talk to her." Opie smirked. "Otherwise, she'll walk away."

"She's already halfway out the door." Jax sighed. "I fucked up with her and I don't know what I can even do to repair the damage. She thinks I cheated on this past run we had."

"Did you?" He looked and shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time you purposefully fucked up a relationship. You self sabotage. Think about it man, is it going to get any better than her? She's pretty, she has shit going for her, she's independent, she knows what she wants and needs, she loves you and has put up with your shit for how many years now? I'm your best friend, I love you man but this is the best you're going to get."

"Dad! Look! I got a Kimber like Hap!" Creed ran up to the men, brandishing the toy gun. "Look at it!"

"I couldn't get him to put it back." Brianna walked up behind her son. "I tried explaining that Russian weaponry is better but he wanted a Kimber like his Uncle Happy and the twins found toy glocks like yours. I'm a terrible mom for buying them these but they're happy little anarchists like your fat head."

"Pew pew!" Creed aimed at the cans. "They're dead!"

"Not in the store please." She shook her head. "Opie, you and your family should join us for dinner soon. It'll be fun. I promise."

"Yeah, we will." Opie nodded and smiled. "Jax, remember what I said."

"I will." Jackson nodded slowly. "I'll see you at the club tomorrow. Alright, Noah, Mason, show me your guns. Creed, I don't know man. I think you still have time to go switch that for a glock. You're already dressed like me so come on!"

"No." Creed shook his head. "Dressed like Hap! Pew! Pew! Pew!"

"I am offended." Jax shook his head and looked at Brianna. "Dressed like Happy?"

"Hey, I aim to please." She smirked. "That's what Happy wears. Jeans, the biker boots and the white shirt with a hoodie. Leave my baby alone. He's so happy. He has great men in his life to look up to. I can't wait until he wants to hopefully wear a suit like my dad, just for a day because I know this one is going to be a Son like you. Let's finish up here though. I got most of what we need, just a few more things and whatever you need to get."

Jackson nodded slowly, looking at his fiancee. "I love you so much, never forget that okay?" He kissed her cheek. "Let's do this."

"Ew, PDA!" Brianna chuckled. "I know you love me and I won't forget but come on, let's finish up all of this shopping. I have a dinner menu to plan out for this week. I need to make an amazing hundredth first impression on Opie. I think I'm starting to grow on him."

* * *

 **Bruh, I am complete shit at updating but I've been very sick lately. A series of bad weeks with my immune system hating me and all of that jazz but I'm trying this week to update twice but no promises but I think dinner with Opie and his family will be interesting because the last time Brianna and Lyla crossed paths, it wasn't the best turn out.**


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